


Cherish the Thought

by stringybeans



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Dani's parents, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Pining, a sprinkle of angst, happy dani and jamie!!, happy hannah and owen!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27189095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stringybeans/pseuds/stringybeans
Summary: Dani Clayton decides to fly all the way to England and move into her parents' manor while she figures out what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Little does she know, she'll find her answer in the manor's gardener.AU. No ghosts, no death, just good old-fashioned fluff with a little bit of angst
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 81
Kudos: 525





	1. Chapter 1

Seeing the inevitable look of pity in her mother’s eyes at the airport was when Dani began to regret her decision.

“Welcome back to England, Dani.” Celia Clayton said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Sorry your father couldn’t make it, you know how busy he’s been at work recently.”

“Recently?” Dani chuckled, thinking about how her dad had even missed her 18th birthday for a business trip. “It’s fine, I’m just happy to finally see you again. And be back on the ground.”

“You might get sick of me with how much we’ll be seeing each other now though, living together again and all!” Her mother said with a nervous laugh that makes Dani worry if it would be the other way around.

The house takes her breath away like it had the first time she came to visit. Of course, she’d visited with her fiancé then. This felt a little bit different. Slightly more freeing, slightly more anxiety-inducing. If there was anything about England that had won her over straight away, though, it was the architecture and countryside. Her parents had moved into a gorgeous Edwardian-style manor, not too far from London but far enough to enjoy the luxurious view of rolling hills decorated with trees. Not to mention the landscaping work within the property grounds, which complemented the house perfectly, Dani noted as the black cab closed in on the driveway.

“It looks different here to when I last came, did you guys change anything?” Dani asks, taking her own bags from the cab. She only packed two. She and her fiancé Edmund had filled their house with stuff, but all of it seemed to be _their_ things rather than her own things. In the end she decided to only pack what she really needed to save having the constant reminder of her old life in everything she looked at. Though she wouldn’t be able to forget about it anytime soon regardless of what she brought with her.

Celia glanced around. “Hm…I don’t-Oh, we did hire a new gardener. She’s done an impressive amount of work around here, now that I think about it. Though I rarely actually see her.”

Once in the house, her mother seemed too preoccupied with getting herself a glass of wine, so Dani is shown to her bedroom by Hannah Grose. Dani had already become well acquainted with the housekeeper during her other visits to the manor. Hannah seemed to know what Dani was going through, but Dani noted that the look in her eye was one of an understanding sympathy, unlike her mother’s look that was closer to disappointment. No doubt her mother had been telling Hannah all about the ins and outs of Dani’s private life.

“If you need anything you know I’m around. Oh and I don’t know if Mrs. Clayton told you but you might see the new gardener, Jamie, she’s around your age actually with short brown hair. So don’t be alarmed that there’s a stranger on the grounds! She’s my go-to if I need something fixed in the house.” Hannah says with a smile which Dani returns with her own.

“Thank you! I’ll keep that in mind. Say, is um, Owen still here?”

Hannah’s face seems to light up at this question as she responds, “yes, yes! I think he may have popped out for some extra groceries but he’ll be back to get the dinner on in an hour or so. Gosh, you must be starving! How was the food on the flight?”

“Oh, awful!” Dani replied, just glad she’s able to laugh about it now she’s off the plane. She didn’t know if the food she’d been given on that flight could even be classed as a meal, or even classed as food at all. “But I had plenty of snacks to keep me going so I’ll survive ’til dinner, it’s fine.”

With that, Dani was left alone to settle into her room. She noted how she was staying in a different one to the one she had stayed in with Edmund a few years ago. Must have been Hannah’s doing, since Dani doubted her mother would pay attention enough to think of it. Unpacking didn’t take very long at all, and it was then that she realised maybe she’d been too picky after all. Her new room looked pretty lifeless with the walls a dull cream colour, the bed covers all too plain and almost every surface completely empty. Dani decided her first mission was to make her new room feel like somewhere she’d actually want to live, even if it is only for a few months.

After a quick shower and changing into nicer clothes, Dani practically felt like a new woman. She went out into the garden, noticing how it had already gotten significantly darker than it had been when she arrived, but wanted to take a quick first look around regardless. Why her parents wanted so much land she didn’t know, but she could see how much love and care the gardener put into it with how everything seemed to be placed perfectly, as if they had always been destined to be planted there. She found the stroll around the grounds therapeutic, taking her mind away from everything that usually plagues her thoughts and filling it with all different colours that she couldn’t wait to see under the bright sun. Although the stroll was probably too calming, because after a particular plant in the distance had caught her eye, she failed to notice the legs just sticking out in front of her own feet. In a matter of seconds she tripped, yelped and fell hard onto the grass.

“Ow, what the fuck was tha-oh my god, are you alright?”

The unfamiliar voice turned from annoyance to concern as Dani turned herself over, glad that she caught herself with her hands in time to save her face. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I got distracted and I…didn’t see you.” Sitting now, she found herself face to face with exactly the woman Hannah had described, only she’d missed a key descriptor in that she’s _beautiful_. Dani was thankful for the darkness, if only for how it could hide her flushed cheeks, as Jamie was on one knee in front of her and awfully close.

“Well I can only hope you were distracted by my skilful gardening - maybe then I’ll let you off. Really though, you alright? Didn’t hurt yourself?” Jamie asked as she inspected Dani for any scrapes with a furrowed brow.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry, it was my fault anyway!” Dani took the hand that Jamie offered her, both of them getting to their feet, and Dani brushed herself off, rather embarrassed of the first impression she’d left on the gardener. “And yes, actually, I was distracted by those flowers over there,” Dani gestures over to it and continues her walk towards the tall bush decorated with flowers.

Jamie follows Dani, not taking long to see exactly what had caught her eye. “Oh yeah I’m not surprised, they’re beautiful aren’t they? Called bleeding heart flowers. You’re lucky you arrived when you did really, cause they’re not gonna be in bloom for much longer now.”

“I’ll just have to come back and see them tomorrow then, in the daylight. And hopefully being able to see properly means I won’t manage to trip over anything,…or anyone,” Dani says, looking back over to Jamie with an apologetic smile.

“Don’t worry about it, really. I probably shouldn’t be out here this late anyway, it was time for me to leave a while ago but once I get stuck in doing something it’s hard for me to stop, you know?”

“I seem to have a knack for not sticking with things, it seems,” Dani replies with an awkward laugh. Jamie doesn’t seem to get it, so Dani knows her mother obviously hadn’t been gossiping to the gardener, at least. “Uh, I’d better get back, I think dinner is soon and I kinda lost track of time out here already. Are you going to join us?”

“Me? Oh, nah, I’m alright thanks. Got leftovers in the fridge, can’t let them go to waste!” Dani can’t help but feel a little disappointed at that, but she can’t blame her much. The company of her parents is…an acquired taste.

“Oh I almost forgot, I came out here to ask you if you could help with my room? Hannah said you’re good at that stuff and it’s a bit…lifeless at the moment. I’m thinking a bit of paint could fix it right up, and maybe you could even give me a few tips on keeping plants? I’d love to have a bit of this garden in my room!”

Jamie smiled at that. “Yeah that sounds good. I’ll have a think tonight and get back to you tomorrow, how about that?” “Yeah, that’s great! Thanks, Jamie.”

Dani began to go back to the manor, calling behind her, “Enjoy your leftovers!”

“Thanks, make sure to enjoy your gourmet meal by Chef Owen,” Jamie called back in reply.

As she walked away, it took every bit of willpower within Dani to not turn back to get a last look at Jamie. Little did she know, Jamie didn’t have the same restraint, watching Dani’s shape getting smaller down the path with a curious smile.

The scent of dinner called Dani to the kitchen as soon as she got back, and she was met with a familiar face.

“Hi Owen, nice to see you again!” Dani greeted, coming up behind him to take a peek at what was for dinner.

“Hey Dani!” Owen immediately put down the spoon he’d been mixing the stew with and turned around to hug her. The two had hit it off almost immediately when Dani had last come to visit, and Hannah had found trying to keep up with them not unlike looking after two children. Not that she minded. “It’s been ages!”

“Two years! I can’t believe I’ve managed to stay away from your cooking for so long.”

“Or my charming personality,” he said with a wink.

“Exactly, it’s been a rough time without you,” she smiled. Dani wondered if it hadn’t been the need to see her parents calling her back here, but the company of Owen and Hannah instead, who’d instantly taken her in as if she were family. When she looked up at him again, though, his face had grown more serious.

“I heard what happened, by the way. I’m here to talk if you need it, but I’m also here to never talk about it again if that’s also what you want! I’m an easy guy.”

“I think not talking about it is what I’m going for, at the moment at least. Thanks though, Owen, but I’m sure your cooking will have me feeling as good as ever in no time!”

Owen began to dish up dinner, filling Dani in on various goings on that happened in the past two years. Eventually, Celia took a seat in the dining room, with Dani’s father, Richard, and dinner was served.

“Enjoy, Mr and Mrs Clayton. Dani,” he flashed her a smile and made his exit, just as Hannah walked through the door to join them.

“Ah, just in time, Hannah. And Danielle, good to see you,” Richard said.

“And you, Dad, I hope you had a good day at work,” Dani replied, taking her seat at the table opposite Hannah. Her father hadn't been around much at all when she was growing up, and that never changed. In fact, Dani had barely noticed the difference in her life when her parents had moved to a different country entirely. He was a stoic man, clean-shaven with short, greying hair. Quite the opposite to the woman Dani grew up to be, but despite their differences, she was grateful for everything he'd done for their family. 

Richard led in saying Grace, and they ate in relative silence. Most of the conversation was between Dani and Hannah, consisting of general small talk and catching up on the two years they'd missed of each other. Now and then Celia would offer a few words, but Dani felt how stiff the air was and was reluctant to say too much at all. It was as if the house had two sides: the cold, quiet side of her parents and the warm, welcoming side of Hannah and Owen - and possibly now Jamie, it seems.

That night in bed, Dani stared up at the ceiling and let her mind wander for what felt like miles, and of all things and people, her mind kept going back to Jamie. She regretted not asking Jamie what it had been that kept her working until dark, but in the moment she had felt so nervous that she was just glad she remembered to ask for help with her room. She wondered why exactly the woman had made her feel so nervous, and blamed it on the initial tripping and falling leaving her flustered. She thought about what exactly Jamie might’ve thought about her - clumsy, probably. Then, eventually, her mind slowed, and she managed to drift off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up in an unfamiliar bed had always been a strange feeling to Dani. Even more so now, as the bed in question was in her parents’ house. A rush of memories reminded her exactly why she was there, and that was more than enough for her to quickly get out of bed and get ready for the day to do anything that distracted her. By the time she got downstairs, breakfast was already being served, but only to Hannah, Jamie and Owen himself.

“Oh I was just about to get you! Would you like tea?” Owen asked, starting to dish up Dani’s plate.

“Coffee would be wonderful please,” Dani replied. She then looked up to Jamie, whose eyes were already on her as she sat opposite at the table. Suddenly Dani felt extra pleased with herself for doing her hair nicely this morning, her lips naturally forming a grin. “Good morning everyone!”

“Mornin’,” came Jamie’s reply, at the same time as Hannah and Owen’s, “Good morning Dani!”

“Your mother’s still in her room and your father left for work a not too long ago, so it’ll just be us for breakfast today,” Hannah explained.

The atmosphere was a lot lighter than it had been the night before, and Dani silently thanked her company for it. She’d always struggled to be herself around her parents, which begged the question as to why she’d stay with them at a time like this, a question even Dani wouldn’t be able to fully answer.  
  
“This is amazing Owen! I missed your famous full English back in America. Really couldn’t think of a better breakfast to have after a whole day of travelling.”

“Thank you, we’re happy to have you back, Dani! Actually, Hannah and I were wondering if you’d wanna have a little hangout on Friday night. Mrs Clayton said she and Mr Clayton are away on the weekend for a trip anyway so it’d be perfect timing really. Fancy it?” Owen asked, glancing to Hannah and Jamie as well.

“Oh yeah, I think I remember her mentioning that when I called her last week. Let’s do it! Will you join us, Jamie?” Dani’s eyes met Jamie’s, her eyebrows slightly raised.

“Yeah why not, sounds fun,” she responded with a slight smile.

After breakfast, Jamie called her over to follow her to the greenhouse. It was a short walk, and the greenhouse was completely full with plants of all kinds. Dani could feel the moisture in the air and smell the dirt, as well as the plants themselves. It felt as though the greenhouse itself was alive.  
  
“I got you these,” Jamie said, showing Dani two different pots.“They’re pretty easy to take care of but if you run into any trouble just ask. This one’s a moth orchid,” she gestures to the first plant, sat in a terracotta pot. It boasted flowers that were light pink around the edges of the petals, becoming more of a white towards the middle. “I’ve had this one for about a week now and it needs a proper home if you’d like it. Just needs watering once a week - you can get the rainwater from here if you like. I’ve also got fertiliser here that you can use every couple of weeks. And this one,” she continued, now looking at the pot next to it, “is a heartleaf philodendron. It might not look like much now, cause I just cut off a few branches from my own and put them in some water last night. Once the roots are grown we can move it into some soil and it’ll really start taking off. Since you liked the bleeding heart flowers I thought this would be right up your alley.”

Dani admired the little plant. It sat in a small jar of water packed with five separate cuttings, each with one or two heart-shaped leaves. “So this is your own plant’s…baby?”

“Yep! And don’t worry about killing it, I think it’s pretty hard to manage that. Just change the water once a week and watch its roots start to grow for now. The best part about flowers, I think, is that they show you what all your hard work and care is going into. You get to watch them really flourish into something special. The orchid is already in bloom so you just have to maintain that, but this little philodendron, you can watch it grow from a few small branches into an entire plant. So, are they alright?”

Dani couldn’t help but smile as she listened to Jamie, seeing the passion in her eyes as she spoke. Dani decided then and there that her second mission was to keep these two plants alive no matter what. “They’re perfect, Jamie. I think these will make my bedroom feel a lot happier already. Thank you so much. I’m already excited to see the roots grow!”

“No problem Dani. I had a look for paint as well, there’s a few pots of white but not much else. What are you thinking?”

“Oh, I don’t know…maybe a pastel pink? Or a cooler colour, like lilac. Or…light blue. Y’know, maybe just going with white would be better after all?”

“So you’re decisive then,” Jamie said with a slight smirk.

Dani feigned offence at this remark, “Well in my defence I need to make sure my parents are okay with me changing the room anyway, so I can’t get too attached to the idea. I _can_ be decisive!”

“Alright, alright, I believe you. Just let me know when you do decide and I’ll pick some up, yeah?”

“Perfect. And thanks again for these,” Dani said as she picked up the two plants, “it’ll be nice for my bedroom to no longer be completely empty.”

“How about we go into town sometime, pick up a few things? I can show you around the place seeing as you’ll be staying a while.” Jamie asked, leaning back against the table and folding her arms.

Dani nodded, biting back her grin. “Yeah, that would be nice. We can get paint while we’re at it.” Then she remembered their plans for Friday night, and it almost felt like something clicked in her brain as she suggested, “How about you stay over? Friday night, since we’ll probably be drinking anyway right? Wouldn’t want you driving home unsafely. Then we can go into town on Saturday.”

“A sleepover, huh, with Miss Clayton?” Jamie pondered aloud, not knowing the effect her words had on Dani as she said them. _Miss Clayton, right, not Mrs O’Mara.  
  
_“I-well-yes, I mean, I’m assuming Hannah will also want to invite Owen to stay for the same reason, right?”  
  
Jamie almost laughed at that, thinking about how Hannah would probably want Owen to stay over for another reason other than just getting home safely. “Right, of course. Sleepover it is then, let’s drink responsibly.”

“Great! Okay, I’ll leave you to your work while I get these guys settled into their new home.”  
  
“Have fun, Dani.” Jamie said, getting to work on some nearby plants that didn’t actually need anything - all of them had already been tended to before breakfast. Of course, Dani didn’t know that, and she made her way out of the greenhouse with a stupidly big smile on her face that she couldn’t seem to wipe off.

Friday seemed to take forever to come around. Dani was known for being patient - you kinda have to be when working with children - but really the days just dragged. Dani had spoken with Celia about her room, who didn’t seem to care much since she didn’t go in any of the guest bedrooms anyway. “Just don’t make it ugly, but I doubt you can make it any worse,” was the only input she had to offer. As for Robert, he was barely even home to ask and he held about the same lack of care as his wife. Dani wondered why, if her parents cared about appearances enough to buy such a large house, why they hadn’t redecorated any of the guest bedrooms since they had moved in. Either way, it allowed Dani the freedom to do what she wanted and make her stay more pleasant. Not to mention an excuse to spend more time with Jamie.

The Claytons gave a short and slightly sweet goodbye before leaving for the weekend. It was noticeable how much they appreciated Hannah, and whilst Dani understood it, she couldn’t help but feel hurt when the goodbye she received wasn’t as warm.

They decided to get pizza to give Owen the night off, which Jamie and Owen went to pick up whilst Hannah and Dani got the sitting room ready. Hannah set the large coffee table with plates, kitchen roll and glasses of water as Dani looked through her parents’ music collection, choosing an Elton John’s Greatest Hits album.

“Right, let’s tuck in before it gets any colder!”Owen’s voice called when they finally get back.

Hannah and Owen took one sofa with Dani and Jamie on the other as they filled up on pizza.

“Nice to see a good bit of English music isn’t completely lost on you Americans.” Jamie teased as Elton John played quietly in the background.

“Then it should impress you to know that I also love David Bowie,” Dani replied with a grin.

“Maybe it would if you could say his name right. It’s _Boe-_ ee, not _Bow_ -ee.”

“Yeah she’s got you there,” Owen chipped in.

“Oh leave her alone you two, poor girl’s just got here,” Hannah reprimanded through a smile.

“Last thing I’ll do is go easy on an _American.”_ Jamie smirked at the look of indignation Dani gave in response despite a pizza slice being almost entirely shoved into her mouth. “But I will admit, I’m a Blondie girl myself. I wanted to take up drumming just from their songs but we had no money. I did become pretty damn good at tapping along though.”

Owen nodded. “Oh yeah I love Blondie. Though you can’t beat a bit of Sade. Been almost non-stop listening to them at my mum’s. Ooh, and Whitney, of course.”

“Plenty of American artists then. See, we aren’t all that bad!”

“No…but _you_ are.” Owen deadpanned before breaking into a laugh.

Dani heard Jamie laugh along beside her and tapped her on the arm playfully. “Hey, you! Eat your food!”

“He said it!”

They finish both pizzas pretty quickly which prompts Dani to clear the table and for Owen to retrieve the beers Jamie brought and his bottles of gin and tonic.

“G&T anyone?”

“Oh that would be lovely please, Owen.” Hannah replied.

“No thanks, I’ll stick to my beer.”

“Uh, I’ve never really tried beer before, would you mind if I have one?” Dani asked.

“Knock yourself out,” Jamie replied, opening a bottle and handing it to her before opening another for herself.

The other three looked on as Dani took her first tentative sip. Her eyebrows furrowed, then lifted. “Huh. This isn’t bad. No G&T, thanks Owen, I’ll stick with beer.”

“So, what are we doing this evening?” Hannah asked as Owen poured out their drinks.

“Y’know, I’ve always fancied a crack at the pool table in the games room. If that’s alright with you, Dani?” Jamie suggested.

“Oh, yeah! As long as you all go easy on me.”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t played it much so I’m not a threat,” Hannah replied.

“I can’t say the same,” Owen said with a devilish grin.

“We’ll play in teams, you and me against them two,” Jaimie gestured to Hannah and Owen, “that way you can be on the winning team.” She winked at Dani, who gave a shy smile.

Owen got up. “Wow, fighting talk already then? Let’s put those words into action!” He lead them to the games room which was next to the sitting room. The walls, flooring, table and chairs were all white, making the English pool table stand out in the middle of the room. “Right, take a drink if you miss on your first shot.”

“Uh, Hannah and I will end up way more drunk than you two!” Dani said.

“Okay, if anyone misses their first shot, their teammate has to take a drink as well. Fair?”

Hannah nodded. “Yeah, that sounds better. Watch out Owen, looks like I might be dragging you down with me.”

“Don’t worry Hannah, I’ve got you,” Owen smiled, then looked to Jamie as he took out a 20 pence coin from his pocket. “Heads or tails?”

“Heads,” came Jamie’s firm reply.

The coin was flipped, landing in Owen and Hannah’s favour. Owen went first, breaking and pocketing a yellow ball, leaving Dani and Jamie with red. He took another shot but missed. Jamie then stepped up, and Dani watched her circle the table, considering the angle before settling and taking a shot. A red ball was hit and sent across the table, straight into the top right pocket. Dani tried to ignore the weird fluttery feeling she got when Jamie looked over and smiled at her. Then, a second red ball was sent into the pocket.

“I think our opponents should take a drink when we pocket a ball, that would spice it up a bit, don’t you think?” Jamie said.

“Only if you two agree to drink to that first shot I got,” said Owen, before already beginning to drink.

Jamie took a sip of her beer quickly before shooting again, a red ball just missing a pocket. She stepped back in defeat, giving Hannah the floor now, who misses, making her and Owen drink once again. Then it was Dani’s turn, who took an unsure step forward. Jamie could already see her going to hold the cue incorrectly.

“You want help there, Dani?” Jamie’s gaze was met with pleading blue eyes, and taking that as a yes, Jamie put down her own cue and walked over to Dani. “Alright, hold it here with your dominant hand,” she taps on a spot towards the bottom of the stick, “now lean over and put your other hand about twenty-five centimetres from the cue ball.” When Dani glanced up at her with a questioning look, Jamie took Dani’s hand in her own, placing it about that distance from the white ball on the table and leaning over with her. It took Jamie a moment to continue with the explanation, thinking about just how soft Dani’s hands were. How she could feel the warmth radiating off Dani from how close they were. “Okay, now you make a ‘V’ with your thumb and finger,” Jamie guided Dani’s hand into position as she spoke, finally resting the edge of the cue between the ‘V’. “And you should be able to shoot like that. Adjust the angle if you need, but I think you’ve got a pretty good shot lined up already there.” With that, Jamie stepped back, immediately reaching for her drink and taking a good swig of it.

“Thank you, Jamie, I think I’ve…got it…” Dani said with an intense look of concentration on her face as she got used to pulling the cue back and forth between her fingers, before shooting. The cue ball launched forward towards the red ball Jamie had almost pocketed earlier, now sending it in. “I did it!” She exclaimed with a grin.

“Wow. Why didn’t you show me like that?” Hannah remarked quietly to Owen, who had taken a sudden interest in the extremely blank, white walls.

“Nice one Dani! Drink up you two,” Jamie said, feeling smug as ever.

For the rest of the game Dani wasn’t quite as lucky as she first had been the first time. Maybe it was because she didn’t have Jamie lining up the shot for her, or maybe it was because her mind had become a little bit distracted ever since Jamie had gotten in her personal space. Either way, with Owen having the advantage of Hannah being able to pocket the ball more often than Dani, it had come down to the last few balls. Two red, one yellow. As for drinks, they had all recently started their third drinks. Dani and Jamie’s bottles had a little less in them than Hannah and Owen’s glasses, however.

“How about losers have to down their drinks?” Owen said, stepping towards the table for his turn.

“Getting cocky, are we? You’re on.” Jamie replied, much to Dani and Hannah’s horror. “We’re gonna finish our drinks anyway, no harm in doing it a bit quicker.”

Owen smiled as he got the final yellow in. He then turned his attention to the black ball, which had been hit into an awkward position by Dani’s last turn. He tried for it, and missed. Jamie then stepped forward and circled the table, not unlike a predator to its prey - the prey being the two pesky red balls that stood in the way of the two teams being even. She lined up her shot carefully, making sure to assess the force needed for the cue ball. The ball flew from her stick and chipped into one of the red balls, which then shot at an angle into the other red, pushing it into the pocket. Distantly, she could hear Dani’s excited clapping and Hannah’s “nice shot”, but she didn’t stop to celebrate before once again positioning her cue. Jamie drew it back slowly, then quickly pushed it forward. The white hit the final red ball, spinning it off into the cushions, which then sent it towards a side pocket. Dani watched the ball hit the pocket corner and stop just outside, once again.

“Shit.” Jamie sighed, walking over to stand next to Dani.

“That would’ve been great had you got it in,” Dani offered, and Jamie just laughed, her shoulders relaxing.

Next, it was Hannah’s turn, who was being encouraged by Owen as if she were a master player going into a final tournament. Dani could swear she saw Hannah getting flustered - and not because of the pressure of the game. Steadily, Hannah adjusted her position, having to once again deal with the awkward positioning of the black ball. Taking a shot, the cue ball dislodged it from its place against the cushion, but it rolled too slowly, stopping in between the left side and top corner pocket.

“You can do this, Dani,” Jamie said, fully believing it despite having watched her miss on her last three turns.

Luckily for Dani, the cue ball had ended up right near the final red ball, and it didn’t take long for Dani to successfully pot it. She watched the cue ball ricochet off the cushion and settle further towards the middle of the table. With a quick glance over to Jamie, who gave a thumbs-up, Dani walked around to the other side, with Jamie behind her. She tried to focus her mind and remember back to exactly how Jamie had guided her hands and stance before.

“Don’t mess up now!” Owen said, earning a “Shh!” from Hannah.

Dani took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly as her cue stick made contact with the white ball, crashing it into the black ball which then shot over to the top left, bouncing between the pocket points before finally falling.

“Yes!” Dani almost immediately dropped her cue stick to turn around and hug Jamie, who wasn’t prepared at all and quickly found herself trapped in Dani’s arms, but before she could reciprocate, Dani had already let go to get her beer.

“Wow, that was brilliant Dani!” Owen said, lifting his drink to her and clinking it against Hannah’s.

“We might have a future pro among us,” Hannah said after downing her drink. Her only tell was squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, as opposed to Owen, whose whole face crinkled up as soon as he’d finished all of it within a few seconds.

“Obviously it just takes a having a good teacher,” Dani responded, also deciding to finish her beer as a celebration of her win.

Jamie was thankful for that, or else Dani may have caught the tinge of pink on her cheeks. _Get yourself together Jamie._ “Yeah, sorry Hannah, bad luck getting stuck with Owen!”

“I can’t even argue against that, we did lose,” Owen said.

Dani started on her way out towards the sitting room. “Right, let’s get snacks. Anyone down for Trivial Pursuit?”

Trivial Pursuit turned out to be extra hard when alcohol was involved. With the rule being to take a drink whenever giving an incorrect answer, it ended up being a race between Jamie and Hannah. Owen hadn’t been handling his drink too well going into his fourth, and Dani pointed out that it was a British version, putting her at an immediate disadvantage. Eventually, it was Hannah that made it to the end first, using her win to suggest watching a film next since none of them had the mental capacity left for another game.

The beer left Dani with a warm and tingly feeling, and she got a blanket that she threw over herself and Jamie to settle in to watch Grease, the first film that was found in the cabinet and Dani and Owen practically begged for it. Dani couldn’t remember at which point she started to fall asleep, but she only realised she’d even become sleepy when she woke up sometime later, curled up against a comfy pillow. A…moving pillow. She looked up and saw Jamie, sitting slouched against the arm of the sofa, her head dipped and eyes closed. Dani’s head moved with each gentle rise and fall of Jamie’s chest. The film had finished and started again, having reached “Summer Nights”, which Dani assumed must’ve been what had woken her up. She then looked over to the other sofa to find Owen and Hannah were no longer there. She had half a mind to go back to sleep so as not to disturb the other woman, but her sleepy haze started to wear off and she decided against it, sitting up and gently nudging Jamie until she awoke.

Jamie felt the onset of a headache as she woke up, her hand instinctively reaching up to it. “How can a hangover come so early,” she groaned and looked over at Dani. “Oh, sorry, how long was I asleep for?”

“I’m pretty sure we both fell asleep not long after the movie started. Also, Hannah and Owen are both gone so I think they’ve gone to bed?” Dani said, trying her best not to slur her words but failing slightly.

“Mm, yeah, we should too. Got a busy day ahead tomorrow.” Jamie got to her feet, picking up the empty beer bottles.

Dani helped her clean up, folding the blanket and getting rid of any sign anyone had even set foot in the sitting room, albeit a little clumsily. Once everything was sufficiently in order - from what they could see in the dim light anyway - they made their way up to the second floor.

“Here, here, come see this,” Dani whispered as if she were about to share a huge secret. She grabbed Jamie’s hand and pulled her into her bedroom, then turned on her bedside table lamp and pointed to the little jar Jamie had given her just a few days before. “Look! The roots are starting to come out.”

Jamie smiled, inspecting the stems and seeing a breakthrough of roots on a few of the nodes. “It’s getting along nicely. And I see your orchid still looks happy.”

Dani lights up. “Yeah! I’m trying my best. I get what you mean, the excitement of it all. It makes waking up more fun, that’s for sure.”

“I’m glad they’re in good hands then. Gives me peace of mind.” Jamie looks at Dani, her eyes trailing over her smile, her lips, and wants so much to get closer to her in that moment. So, she takes a step back. “Right, I’m going to bed before you drag me off somewhere else. Which room am I staying in?”

“Oh, the one next door is free, just use that one. To the left,” Dani replied, following her out and stopping at the doorway. “Tonight’s been fun.”

“Yeah, it has.” Jamie gave her a small smile. “Goodnight, Dani.”

“Goodnight, Jamie.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and reviews! Reading them really makes my day. :) Also sorry if there are any errors in this, I'm just trying to get the chapters out asap. Thanks for reading!

Dani woke to see sunlight softly spilling through the curtains, warming the room and announcing summer was coming. Her clock told her it was almost seven, so she promptly got up and checked her two plants. She bit her lip over a smile in partial embarrassment when she remembered how she’d drunkenly, but proudly, showed them off to Jamie the night before. They were the easiest plants Jamie could find her, yet looking after them and watching the progress still felt so exciting. As Dani got ready she thought back to last night. How surprisingly good the pizza was, despite being from an English pizza place. How fun it was to actually hang out with friends, something she hadn’t done in far too long. Her spectacular win at pool, even though she’d missed most of her shots up until then. And how, for the first time in a long time, Dani was starting to feel like herself again. In fact, she couldn’t remember when she’d ever really felt like herself, but the new feeling that being with Hannah, Owen and Jamie gave her was like she’d lived her entire life with a weight on her that was now slowly being lifted. The only problem was the subconscious pressure she always felt from her parents. Even after they’d moved to England she still felt it, but with her new friends to distract her, it started to feel more bearable.

When Dani walked into the kitchen she saw Owen cooking breakfast. He looked a bit dishevelled and was moving around the kitchen less fluid than he usually did.

“Morning! How are you, Owen? Do you need any help?”

“Oh good morning Dani! I’m fine thanks, just feel a bit ill that’s all. I don’t know why I thought having double shots would be a good idea but I’m glad that Hannah stuck with singles or she’d be in the same boat as me.”

“You sure it’s not just cause you’re a total lightweight?” Jamie said, coming in from the garden.

Dani felt something weird in the pit of her stomach when she heard the other woman’s voice, turning around to look at her. She saw that Jamie wasn’t in her usual overalls, instead wearing a Blondie shirt, brown jacket and jeans, with her curly brown hair down to her shoulders. “You’re one to talk, you had a headache before you even went to bed.”

“So I’m not alone then?” Owen sounded relieved. “I was just thinking I’m getting old.”

“Well I feel fine now, so it probably is just your old age,” Jamie said with a smirk.

“Oi!”

Jamie looked to Dani, whose eyes were still on her. “You alright?”

“What? Oh, yeah, no hangover for me. You?”

“Glad to hear it. I feel weird after that lie-in; I’m getting way too used to rising way before the sun.”

At that moment, Hannah entered. “Talking about lie-ins, are we? I’m so in the habit of getting up early that I can’t even manage a lie-in on my days off. Nice job tidying up last night by the way girls, the games room and sitting room are spotless.”

“Good morning Hannah!” Dani greeted.

“Morning Dani, sorry for us leaving you two last night. We didn’t want to disturb you since you both looked so…well, peaceful,” Hannah said with a small smile as she looked at the pair. Dani quickly looked down at her feet.

“Yeah, and I didn’t think Jamie was even capable of that,” Owen chimed in.

Jamie rolled her eyes. “I’ve had a hard life, alright?”

“Well let me make it a bit easier on you and serve you some delicious food,” he said, plating up the breakfast and they all sat to eat.

“So, what are you both doing today?” Dani asked, looking at Hannah and Owen.

“We’re going to Owen’s mother’s house for tea,” Hannah said delightedly.

“I hope you two have a lovely time! How is your mother doing, Owen?”

“Oh, she’s fine now. Has been for a while. She responded to treatment better than the doctors thought and it’s looking like it won’t be coming back - anytime soon, anyway. I’ve been thinking about going back to Paris at some point, it’s just a matter of when now, really,” Owen explained.

Dani grinned, quickly swallowing her mouthful of food to reply. “That’s amazing, Owen! Going to finally become the famous Parisian chef you’re destined to be?”

“You know it.”

“Wow. Between being head chef and your winning personality you’ll really be talk of the town over there.”

Owen acted hurt. “You mean I’m not talk of the town already?” He looked to Jamie when she almost choked on her food at that. “Oh please Jamie, I know you wish you had my goofy charm. It’s how I get all zero of my girlfriends.”

“You’re right, I’m so jealous. You’ve gotta teach me your ways sometime - maybe that way I can stay single for even longer,” Jamie responded.

Dani looked over at Jamie. “You’re single? I thought you’d have plenty of bachelors lined up.” She could’ve sworn she heard Hannah and Owen quietly giggling to each other from across the table as soon as she said _bachelors,_ but by the time she looked around they were both deadpan. Dani wondered if she was missing out on an inside joke of some sort, but decided not to press.

“You did, did you?” Jamie leaned back and smirked. “Well, none of the men round here are deserving of me anyway.”

“What, you’ve never thought about _me_?” Owen asked.

“Oh Owen, only every minute of every day…” Jamie replied in an exaggerated dream-like voice that was laced in sarcasm, breaking all of them into laughter.

During the clean-up after breakfast, Hannah asked Dani and Jamie, “so what are you two up to today, then?”

“I’m showing our newest resident around town. Keeps moaning about how the rooms here aren’t up to her standard so she’s making me redecorate,” Jamie answered.

“That’s not it at all!” Dani started, but gave up when she saw the smug look on Jamie’s face from successfully winding her up. She huffed, a smile threatening to show at the corner of her lips, and turned back to Hannah. “But yes, I would like to repaint my room and maybe add a few things, and Jamie agreed to help me.”

“Oh good, I’ve always wanted to liven up the guest bedrooms. Just let me know if you need a hand with the painting,” Hannah offered.

“Thanks Hannah! I think we’ll have it covered though. I repainted the entire living room in mine and my Edmund’s old house by myself in one day. Edmund as in my ex-fiancé,” she added to clarify for Jamie, whose eyebrows lifted slightly as she nodded in acknowledgement.

“Impressive. Sure you need my help at all then?” Jamie asked.

Dani paused, opening her mouth to reply before shutting it again. Then, “well, you don’t _have_ to-“

“I’m just teasing, I want to,” Jamie interjected with a smile, which Dani returned with her own.

Hannah’s eyes darted between the two women and then to Owen, who looked back at her from the sink, just behind Dani and Jamie. The looks in their eyes privately expressed what they both had on their minds, and with that, Hannah smiled. “Well, we have everything covered here, so why don’t you two head out? We wouldn’t want to take up any more time from your trip into town.”

Dani raised her eyebrows. “Oh, if you’re sure? Thanks guys. And thank you for organising this, it’s been really nice. You all make this big place feel more like a home.”

“Our pleasure, Dani. We missed having you in the manor so really it’s our treat to have you back,” Owen replied.

On the way to town, Jamie explained that the village that was closest to the manor only had a local shop and a pub, so they could only get what they needed by going to the bigger town a little farther away. Dani absorbed the scenery around them, and Jamie found herself with a fresh appreciation for farm animals due to the way Dani would excitedly point out each time they passed by a field of cows or sheep. The town itself was bigger than Dani was expecting. The buildings were of all different styles. A pub they drove past announced its Tudor origin with its half-timbered exterior, and a large town hall just after it held a stark contrast, showing bare, brown bricks and white windows lined with plaster. When they reached their destination, Jamie parked in a space at the top of a hill and began her new job as a tour guide. The street they were on had a gentle slope, with different shops lining the road in their various colours of pastel pinks, yellows, blues or simple brick exteriors. Eventually, the road turned off to the left, with the rest of the marketplace only accessible via a slightly uneven cobblestone footpath that led to the town centre at the bottom of the hill. From the top of the hill, Dani stood and admired the view of several rows of cottages just beyond the shops, on the backdrop of green hills. The place had a different feeling to it than any town Dani had been to in the U.S. - a feeling she couldn’t quite describe, but appreciated nonetheless.

Jamie finished locking her car and stood next to Dani. She observed the way the other woman seemed to be soaking everything in with her eyes and smiled. “So this street here is the only place in town with shops in it. The rest is just houses, pubs, churches. Really, once you’ve seen one town like this, you’ve pretty much seen them all. Don’t get me wrong, though, they’re all nice to visit.”

Dani grinned at her. “I love it.”

“Good. Cause if you need to buy anything, this is probably where you’re gonna end up.” Jamie looked once more down the hill and started to walk, Dani following next to her. “So what are you after exactly? Aside from paint.”

“I need new clothes and I’m thinking new bed sheets, too,” Dani answered.

“Perfect, let’s go in here then.”

They went into a shop that was far bigger on the inside than it had looked from the outside. With only a few other people inside, there were plenty of different clothing items and styles to choose from. It didn’t take much browsing until Dani had already picked up several pieces she liked, as well as Jamie suggesting a few here and there. Dani then tried them on in the sole dressing room at the back of the shop, having her own fashion show with Jamie as judge and the occasional input from the shop assistant, receiving raving reviews from both for each outfit she modelled.

“I’m convinced you could pull off anything. Maybe you could even make leg warmers look good,” Jamie commented when they were out of the shop and continued their walk along the street.

Dani chuckled. “You won’t be seeing me in those any time soon.”

At the bottom of the hill was a furniture store. Dani picked up a few with simple floral patterned bed sheets, and turned around to see Jamie behind her, holding a large white plant pot.

“What do you think? My philodendron is in a similar pot to this and I like how it’s tall enough to really let the leaves hang over the edges.”

“Yeah, that will look great against the purple walls!”

“Oh so you’ve decided on purple, huh?

“I think. No, I’m sure,” Dani said with a smile. Jamie found her smile infectious.

“Alright then. Well, let’s go get that as well then.”

After they got the paint they decided to walk back towards the car, this time on the other side of the road, and once they reached the top once again a music store caught Dani’s eye.

The inside was slightly smaller and dimmer than the other shops had been, but busier. Dani admired the efficient use of space to show the large collection of everything from vinyls, to cassette tapes and CDs. They slowly made their way through, staying close together so as to not get in other people’s way. At least, that’s what Dani told herself.

“How do you find new music to listen to?” Dani asked as they browsed.

“I don’t know, really. Top of the Pops every week, I suppose. Mostly I just listen to whatever’s on the radio,” Jamie replied.

“Would you like a Walkman?”

Jamie laughed and looked at Dani, only for her laughter to fade when she found a completely serious expression on Dani’s face. “Why?”

“Well I thought maybe you’d like to listen while you work. But also it’d be a thank you gift, for helping me with my room.”

“You don’t need to buy me anything, Dani. And anyway, your parents are already giving me a massive raise for having to spend the day with you, but now that I think about it, I don’t even know if that’s enough to cover the burden,” she jested.

“I think you’ll find that spending the day with me is not a burden but a _privilege,_ thank you. And I know I don’t need to. I want to, though, so go get one and pick some tapes you’d like.”

Jamie knew Dani wouldn’t change her mind anytime soon, so when they met up again in front of the cashier desk, she had the least expensive Walkman she would find along with three tapes. Dani eyed them for a second, then replaced the cheaper Walkman with a better one, against Jamie’s protests, and also got one of the small boomboxes sitting behind the till.

“You’re going all out with purchases today aren’t you?” Jamie said on the walk back to the car.

Dani smiled. “I thought I’d treat myself as well. My father handed me some money the other night for God knows what reason, and I already have a good amount of savings so I thought I’d get this.”

“Must be nice, to have your dad do that.”

“Oh, I’m thankful for what he does do for me, but I’d prefer if he actually talked to me. If he did he’d know I didn’t need or want any of his money. He thinks throwing his cash at his problems will make them go away, whereas my mom just loves to ignore them or drink them away. I wouldn’t actually be surprised if they _did_ pay you for having to spend time with me.”

“I wouldn’t accept it if they offered.” Jamie replied.

“I know.” Dani gave a weak smile.

Jamie unlocked her car and put their bags in the backseat before closing the door and facing Dani again. “Look, you’ve only been at the manor for what, less than a week, and it already feels different with you in it. I don’t know the ins and outs of your family situation, but what I do know is that you have people who really care about you here. I’d already heard about how kind you are from Hannah and how funny you are from Owen before you even got here. And even though you were joking about me being privileged to spend time with you, I’m starting to feel that way.”

Dani stared at her, her lips slightly parted in a mix of wonder and surprise. “Jamie, I…”

Jamie just smiled at her, then opened the passenger door. “Come on, it’s still early, let’s get started on the painting. Unless you wanna look around more.”

The journey back was quiet until Dani eventually broke the silence, rubbing her hands together nervously as she spoke.

“I really like spending time with you, Jamie,” she said softly.

“Of course you do. What’s not to like?” Jamie smirked, looking over at Dani who gave her a shy smile.

“And thank you, for what you said. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to suddenly unload all that personal stuff on you.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it, I’m always here for a chat if you ever need one. You don’t need to hold back with me.”

Dani rested her head against the window and thought over that last part for the rest of the way back to the manor, Jamie’s words spinning around in her head. There were so many conflicting, confusing feelings inside of her that made her that she just wanted to ignore, but she could feel that they were only growing beyond her control with each day that passed.

“Dani?” Jamie asked, putting a hand on Dani’s shoulder.

Dani whipped her head around to Jamie, her eyes wide. “Yeah?”

“We’re here. You alright?"

Dani could feel her cheeks getting hot in embarrassment. “Sorry. Just…I have a lot to think about, that’s all. I’m sure it’s all fine. I’m fine.”

Jamie gave her a concerned look for a moment, knowing Dani was trying to reassure herself more than anyone else, but decided to give it up. If Dani was going to tell her what was on her mind, she would just tell her. “Okay then. Let’s get all this stuff in.”

They carried Dani’s stuff up to the guest bedroom, deciding it would be best put out of the way until the painting was done. Jamie retrieved overalls from the storage room to protect their clothing, along with all the equipment they needed to paint, and they prepared the room by removing all the furniture they could into the hallway, and covering the wardrobe, bed finally the floor in protective sheets. Jamie thought about how it would have been a gruelling process on such a warm day, but the fact that she was with Dani made it much more bearable. The smell of fresh paint filled the room and Dani opened the windows, making the room get even warmer with the heat of the sun being let in.

“Man, I don’t know how you guys manage without A.C.,” Dani said, lowering her aching arms to give them a break and wiping the back of her hand against her forehead.

“Gives us more reason to complain about the weather,” Jamie replied, stepping back and admiring the work they’d done so far. One of the walls was almost complete.

“Would you like to break for lunch? I’ll make us some sandwiches.”

“That would be lovely. I’ll be down in a sec, I’ll just do a bit more here.”

Dani fumbled her way around the kitchen, releasing she’d never actually had to make anything herself there before and didn’t know where anything was. It didn’t take long to find what she needed, though, and there were two sandwiches packed with ham, tomatoes and lettuce on the table alongside two cups of tea ready when Jamie joined her.

“Wow, thanks Dani,” Jamie said, receiving a bright smile. Dani started eating whilst Jamie took a sip of her tea, immediately letting it fall back into the cup and grimacing. “Blimey what on _Earth_ did you do to that?”

Dani’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh God is it that bad? I know I’m not the best at making tea but I thought it would be at least drinkable…” She tried it herself, considering it for a moment before shrugging. “It tastes fine to me.”

Jamie’s eyebrow raised in disbelief and went to make her own tea, much more satisfied with how it tasted than the liquid abomination that Dani had somehow achieved. “I’ve gotta admit, I’m impressed anyone is able to mess it up that badly, but I do appreciate the effort anyway.”

“I will see the positive in that. Thank you,” Dani said with a grin.

Lunch left the pair feeling reinvigorated and ready for an afternoon of painting. It was fortunate that their previous experience with rollers and paint brushes significantly sped up the process. They worked to the sound of various birdsongs floating in from outside and had the occasional conversation about the manor, the town or Owen and Hannah. Between the conversations a comfortable silence would settle, and the two would secretly steal glances at each other. Every now and then they would take short breaks to let the paint dry, and Dani would refill a pitcher with lemonade and ice for them to gradually make their way through until another refill was needed.

“So what did you work as, back in America?” Jamie asked when they were almost finished with the final wall.

“I was a fourth grade teacher. So, nine year-olds.”

Jamie’s eyebrows lifted. “And what was that like?”

“Wonderful. I loved all of those kids. Even the worst ones,” she said, chuckling. “I was thinking of maybe doing something like that here. I’d love to be able to make a difference in a kid’s life, really help them grow and become who they wanna be. That was the hardest part about being a teacher, I found. No matter how hard I tried, I never had enough time for all twenty-five kids.”

“I’m not surprised. Two plants must be a walk in the park in comparison, then.”

“Well, children can communicate when something’s wrong. Surely that makes it easier than taking care of something that can’t tell you anything, like if it needs less sunlight.”

“That’s the beauty of plants - they do communicate, it’s just in a different way. It takes some getting used to but once you know what they’re telling you, it becomes much easier to take care of them.”

Dani considered that for a moment. “Mm, I suppose the same can be said for children. Sometimes one of my students would be throwing a temper tantrum over one thing that seems so small, so inconsequential, but really it’s about something else entirely that’s hidden away, and it was my job to fix that. Or at least, I wanted to. I couldn’t always.”

“And that’s what you wanna do here as well, is it?”

“I’m not really sure yet. I think I might become a nanny for a while and see if I like that better.”

“You’re our very own Mary Poppins in the making, then?” Jamie said, looking over at Dani, who laughed.

“If so I’d better get all her magical powers.”

Jamie smiled and paused, before saying, “I doubt Mary Poppins would lose at Trivial Pursuit.”

“I told you it was because they were British questions, I’m American!” Dani said, pointing her paintbrush at her and accidentally splattering paint all down Jamie’s overalls. “Oh my god, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

Jamie didn’t let her finish, getting her own back, but Dani’s hair and neck were also caught in the firing range, causing Dani to gasp.

“How childish of you, Jamie, look what you did to my hair!” Dani scorned, a smile creeping up on her lips even as she said it, giving her away.

“I’m sorry for acting in self defence,” Jamie said, getting off the step ladder she had been using for the top of the wall. She got a damp cloth and walked over to Dani. “May I?”

With a playful roll of her eyes, Dani tilted her head back so Jamie could clean up the paint. The cloth was cool and it felt good against her warm skin, wiping away the beads of sweat that had started to form. Her heart rate had almost doubled, it felt like, and she wondered if Jamie was close enough to feel it. Jamie gently stroked the other woman’s hair with the cloth, and when she’d done the best she could, she lowered it. “You should put the rest of your hair up, too, _Poppins_. Who knows what paint-flinging fiend might attack you next.”

Dani chuckled, turning her head to meet Jamie’s eyes. “Technically _I_ was the paint-flinging fiend, but I was doing fine up until now. Plus, we’re almost done,” she said, her gaze lowering slightly. Her mind started screaming at her to back away, like an alarm system going off. Flashes of her parents and Edmund intruded her brain - how Edmund’s once warm eyes were flooded with heartbreak on the day she ended it with him. The image snapped her out of the daze she’d fallen into, and she turned back towards the wall and continued to paint what was now one of the last sections they had left. Jamie stood, absentmindedly playing with the cloth in her hand as she admired Dani, whose overalls were covered in the soft purple paint. It was yet another look she pulled off, Jamie thought with a smile.

It didn’t take much longer for them to finish, and by the time they did the sun was close to setting. A full day spent together, and Dani couldn’t be happier about it.

“Thank you helping, and for giving me a tour of the town,” Dani said as they stood and looked around at how the freshly painted mauve walls complemented the wooden floors far better than the previous dull cream colour had. Jamie thought the colour Dani a lot more.

“Thank _you_ for the Walkman. I really wasn’t expecting anything in return, but I really appreciate it.” There was a short pause until Jamie spoke again, “so, you need help getting this furniture back in?”

“Oh, no it’s fine, I’ll do it tomorrow morning before my parents get back. I don’t wanna risk disturbing the paint.”

Jamie nodded, “right then, I best be off. My plants must be starting to miss me - I haven’t been away from them for this long in a long while.”

Dani bit her lip, feeling a slight disappointment from having to part from Jamie, even though she’d had so much time with her. “When are you back?”

“I’ll be back here on Monday. Good luck with getting the furniture back in, Hannah will be thrilled when she sees how much nicer the room looks already,” Jamie said with a smile.

Dani walked Jamie to the front door, and leaned against the frame to watch as her car drove into the distance, thinking up the perfect excuse to visit her on Monday. With a smile that she couldn’t wipe off, Dani closed the door behind her and got started on dinner. It was what she would consider a success, that she was making another friend within the manner. _Because that’s what we are, good friends._ Dani said, repeating it over and over in her head, as if it would suddenly just stick. _Friends._


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Hannah helped Dani move the furniture back into her room. Jamie was right, Hannah had been overjoyed at how much a simple repainting could completely transform a once colourless and lifeless room into one that felt like someone was actually living there. The new boombox and plants were placed atop the chest of drawers and Dani’s first mission was complete: the room finally looked like one she could live in. Though, she didn’t expect she’d be staying there for very long at all, especially since she spent the rest of the day searching for different jobs she could apply for and most of them were too far for her to realistically commute to every day.

Eventually, in the early evening, Robert and Celia returned to the manor from their business trip in higher spirits than when they had left. Over dinner Robert explained that it had been a successful weekend that he was confident had secured him new investors, which Dani congratulated him on. It had been the most they had spoken since she arrived to England, which she was at least grateful for, but not one question was asked about how Dani had spent her weekend.

“Oh Danielle, we’ll be hosting a little social event here next Saturday for our new investors. We can’t go without an appearance from you, of course, so you’ll be required to attend,” Robert explained.

“I’ll send for a driver to take you to get a new dress with Hannah tomorrow.” Celia added.

It had been a few years since Dani had last been subjected to one of their extravagant parties. They were less unbearable once she’d met Edmund at one of them through introduction from her parents, but a dread set in when she wondered if her parents would attempt something similar since she was newly single. Dani didn’t know if she was ready for that so soon.

“Why don’t you come dress shopping with us too, Mom?” Dani asked, mainly to hear what the excuse would be.

Celia laughed as she took a sip from her wine. It sounded hollow. “Oh I’ll be far too busy planning the event, of course! Hannah shares my taste, I trust she’ll do wonderfully in my place.”

“Will Hannah and Owen be there?”

“Well Owen will be in charge of the caterers. As for Hannah, I might ask her to serve drinks.”

Dani didn’t know why she’d hoped they would be able to attend properly. She began to dread the event more and more, until she asked, “Am I allowed to bring a plus one?” Robert and Celia both looked over at her with intrigue. “I…I think I would feel more comfortable with a friend there with me.” Dani had her mind on a particular woman, a soft smile forming on her lips involuntarily as she thought of her.

“I suppose there would be nothing wrong with that,” Robert replied eventually.

That was enough for Dani. For the rest of the evening she passively listened to her parents’ stories from their trip, her thoughts always leading back to the one person she just couldn’t seem to get out of her mind.

Monday turned out to be a pleasantly sunny day - perfect weather for what Dani had planned. Searching for Jamie on the grounds took longer than she’d expected it to. The entire garden was like a work of art, with Jamie as the loving painter, taking into account every detail. Dani distinctly remembered how the grounds had looked before Jamie arrived: overgrown in most places; stripped bare in others, colourless, lifeless. What she was walking through felt like a completely different place; the care Jamie put into her work was on constant display. Dani walked past the neatly-trimmed hedges and down a gravel path surrounded by flourishing flowerbeds. That gravel path led her around a corner and she was faced with Jamie, who was knelt down similarly to how she had been when Dani tripped over her the first time they met.

Jamie was miles away in her own little world. She had been listening to Abbey Road throughout the day whenever she got the chance, and when she’d spotted some weeds amongst the gardenias, it seemed like the perfect time for it. Though, she’d become so absorbed in her own space that she hadn’t even noticed when she began to sing along as she worked.

“Little darling, I feel like ice is slowly melting, little darling, it feels like years since it’s been clear,” she sang along with the song. The sweet tune reminded her of the very woman who’d bought her the Walkman in the first place. The very woman who she did _not_ expect to see in the corner of her eye when she turned her head a little, and Jamie nearly jumped out of her skin. Only after a second did she manage to regain her cool composure, and a slight pink on her cheeks the only tell that she was phased at all. She took off her headphones, leaving them hanging around her neck as she asked, “to what do I owe the pleasure of being scared to shite?” Jamie asked, looking down at the large basket and jug Dani was holding.

Dani quickly walked towards her, feeling a little embarrassed herself that she’d been caught staring. It wasn’t her fault that Jamie’s soft singing (one of the last things she imagined finding Jamie doing) caught her in some kind of trance. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to sneak up on you there, I just, I thought you might wanna have lunch? With me? Out here?”

“A picnic with the lady of the manor, eh? Doesn’t sound bad at all,” Jamie replied.

“I mean, the lady of the manor is my _mom_ , but…” Dani trailed off when she saw Jamie look over and smirk, and instead she just gave a small smile and looked at the flowers Jamie was tending to. “Those are beautiful.”

Jamie gathered the last of the weeds into a bag and got to her feet. “Aren’t they? Gardenias. They’re a lot of effort to look after but they’re worth it. Here, smell them,” Jamie said, inviting Dani towards one by gently holding it out with a gloved hand.

Dani got closer and leant in, the scent of the flower suddenly hitting her. “Wow, that’s exquisite. I had roses at my wedding but I wish I’d known about these. Though I suppose that doesn’t matter anymore anyway.”

“They’re good wedding flowers. They symbolise purity and joy. Although they also mean secret love.”

Dani stood up again and studied Jamie’s face. “A fitting meaning for such a pretty flower. Do you know what all flowers symbolise?”

“Nah, but some stick out. I’ve got a big book of flowers and their meanings at home.” Jamie smiled. “Right, follow me, Poppins.” Jamie said as she began to walk Dani farther down the gravel path.

“Is this going to be a thing now?” Dani asked, not minding the new nickname one bit.

“It suits you. I could always call you ma’am instead.”

“Oh, God, no,” Dani said with a laugh. “Hannah did when we first met and I stopped that right away.”

“Poppins it is then.”

They came to a stop when the gravel path was replaced by clean-cut grass that opened up into a large circle with hedge walls. In the middle was a fountain that was looked upon by four benches that sat around the circle in front of the hedges.

“Did you design this?”

Jamie hummed a confirmation. “Mr and Mrs Clayton really let me have my way with the garden. On the odd chance they don’t like it I can just change it around anyway. They just wanted it tidied up really. You should’ve seen the state it was in when I got here.”

“Oh, I did. Some of it, anyway. You’ve completely transformed it.”

“I’ve tamed the beast, as Owen likes to put it,” Jamie said, taking a seat on one of the benches. She put the bag and her gloves on the floor, turning back to Dani who sat on the other side of the bench and placed the picnic basket in between them.

“Yeah, that’s accurate. Tamed it and turned it into somewhere that looks right out of a fairytale. The perfect place to have our picnic, don’t you think?”

Jamie smiled. “Definitely. So, you gonna keep me in suspense or are you gonna show me what we’re having?”

It took Dani a second to process the words. Her gaze had been so focused on the smile that had adorned Jamie’s face. “Right! In here,” she lifted up the jug, “is iced tea. Have you tried it?”

Jamie eyed it skeptically. “I haven’t. I just drink proper tea.”

“Don’t judge it before you try it! And you kinda _have_ to like it cause it’s the only drink I brought… Anyway, in here,” Dani placed the jug on the bench and opened the basket to reveal its contents before continuing, “we have sandwiches. Owen said you like ham and cheese so I made two of those, then one with chicken, and then we have some sausage rolls, strawberries and raspberries.”

“So you just decided to do this all yourself, for me?” Jamie asked, looking down at the selection of picnic food and how each sandwich had been cut into four small triangles, then back to Dani.

Dani grinned. “Well, I had help from Owen, so it wasn’t all me. I went grocery shopping with him and he recommended the sausage rolls.”

“Ah, course he did. Should’ve known. Either way, this all looks great,” Jamie said. She found herself smiling more often than not around Dani, as if she couldn’t help it.

Dani got out the paper plates from the basket, handing one to Jamie and resting the other on her lap, before filling two cups with the iced tea. The ice had mostly already melted under the warm summer sun, but the drink itself was still cold. “Okay, try this. I wanna see what you think.”

As Jamie took the first sip of the drink she saw the anticipation in Dani’s eyes and wondered for a moment that even if she didn’t enjoy it, she could pretend to, if just for Dani. Perhaps it wasn’t so much what she was drinking, but the fact that it was made by the beautiful woman in front of her. Fortunately however, she didn’t need to pretend. Whilst the drink had a strange, different taste to it she decided after a moment that it was ultimately pleasant. “Not bad. ‘Specially considering how badly you butcher normal tea.”

Dani took her response as a victory. “See! I had a feeling you’d like it.”

Admittedly the picnic left Jamie pretty amazed. Her plan for the day definitely hadn’t included anything like it yet there she was on a bench with Dani Clayton, eating her favourite type of sandwich that Dani had specially made for her. The gentle sound of the water fountain and various birdsongs the backdrop to the sounds of their voices.

“I see you’re enjoying your Walkman. I loved your singing,” Dani said, biting back a cheeky grin and taking a handful of raspberries.

Jamie rolled her eyes. “I could tell - thought I was performing a concert with the way you were staring. How long were you there for anyway?”

“N-not for long! You spotted me almost straight away I was just…um, surprised to find you actually singing, that’s all.”

“Yeah well don’t get used to it. My plants are my only audience.” As Jamie said it, she thought back to who exactly was on her mind as she sang “Here Comes the Sun”, and it definitely hadn’t been her plants.

“Well then your plants are very lucky,” Dani said with a smile that had Jamie repeating the chorus in her head all over again.

The food was almost finished and the jug of iced tea was only filled with slices of lemon when Dani finally got the courage to say what she’d been wanting to the entire time.

“Um, how much do you know about my life from before I got here? I know my mom loves to tell pretty much everyone my business.”

“Nothing aside from what you’ve already told me. I make it a habit to keep my company limited to flowers - something that you keep ruining.”

“Right. Sorry about that. Well, I’m not, actually, but anyway I thought I’d um…fill you in.”

Jamie wondered if this was what had been on Dani’s mind when she got distracted in the car. “Yeah, course. I was wondering when we were gonna get to that.”

“I met my fianc-my _ex-_ fiancé at one of my parents’ big parties that they hold for all their rich friends. Well, I guess they’re not really friends but…acquaintances, contacts. They’re very big on appearances and keeping friends in high places so that’s why they hold them so often. That and my mum just loves to drink, which I’m sure even you’ve noticed by now even if you don’t see her often.”

Jamie gives a solemn nod in response but doesn’t interrupt.

“So eventually my parents set me up with the son of one of the most affluent men in Iowa. Luckily that wasn’t intimidating at all cause we got along straight away. Edmund really is such a good man. We were together for about five years until I finally accepted his proposal. I kept him waiting cause I never really felt ready, but then I kinda never have. I didn’t feel ready when he asked me out, I didn’t feel ready when he first proposed, so I just…got on with it. It’s what my parents wanted, you know? And Edmund’s mom was so nice to me too. I know it sounds bad to say but after a while I saw her as more of a mom than my actual mother. In terms of Edmund’s father, he was about as absent as my own. Long hours at the office and all that." Dani paused to finish her iced tea before continuing. "Anyway, pretty perfect life, right? That’s why I was so confused when I realised I wasn’t happy. It couldn’t have been boredom cause I insisted on becoming a teacher and that kept me about as busy as Edmund. And Edmund was so good to me, he really was my best friend and always supported me through everything I wanted to do. Until I kept delaying our wedding date, finding every excuse I could, and he asked me about it. Do you know how hard it is to explain to someone, to your fiancé that something just isn’t… _right?_ I loved him, I still do, but deep down I just knew I couldn’t spend the rest of my life with him. That was impossible to explain and impossible for him to understand. I don’t blame him for not understanding. No one did, really. After that I couldn’t show my face in that town anymore, not with his whole family there and our old house as a constant reminder of how I broke my best friend’s heart, and in the process, I broke my own. So I came here, even though I regretted it as soon as I bought the plane ticket. Pretty childish really, running to your parents when life gets hard, but I didn’t know what else to do except get out of there.”

When Dani finished her explanation, she let out a long, shaky breath. She didn’t know why she was so nervous, since she got the feeling Jamie wouldn’t judge her like everyone else had - with exception of Hannah and Owen, of course.

Jamie had watched Dani carefully whilst listening, her position moving from a relaxed lean back against the bench to sitting forward. She found herself wanting to know absolutely everything about the woman in front of her. “I don’t think that’s childish at all. In fact I think what you did was brave. You didn’t know how everyone would react or what your life would be like, but you knew it was what you had to do. It would’ve been a lot worse if you’d put it off and done this, say, five years down the line when you were already married. Or if you hadn’t done it all and stayed unhappy for the rest of your life.”

“I suppose. I don’t know what I expected to find in England of all places though, apart from my parents who I know aren’t the key to whatever happiness I was missing with Edmund. But I have to admit, even though I miss him and his mom, and my old job, I am enjoying my time here. More than I thought I would.”

“Thanks to me I’m assuming. You’re very welcome.” Jamie said with a smirk that made Dani’s stomach flip.

“Yes, actually,” Dani admitted. “My mom hadn’t told me about the new gardener before I got here, so you’ve been a pleasant surprise. And so has the new look on the grounds.”

“Speaking of, how about I properly show you around? Unless you’ve had a look yourself. During the day, that is. Not stumbling around in the dark looking for some legs to trip on.”

Dani’s eyebrows pulled together. “Are you ever gonna let that go?”

“Nope,” Jamie said firmly, a grin on her face as she began to pack up the cups and plates neatly into one side of the basket, with the leftover food on the other. Then she picked up her bag, gloves and got up. “Coming, then, Miss Clayton?”

“Why of course, my lady,” she said, doing her best impression of a posh English accent. Dani grinned and Jamie couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Are you sure you’re not actually English?”

“You’d think so, right? With how natural it sounds.”

Jamie shook her head, still smiling. Then, Dani took the picnic basket from Jamie, and together they began their walk through the grounds.

It was peaceful. As they walked, Dani asked about Jamie’s thought process behind each decision she made from placement of flowers to the different types of grass and pathways. Jamie was more than happy to answer each and every question. It made her feel a certain excitement that Dani even cared enough to inquire so thoroughly about her work.

“You know, I feel it’s only fair that I tell you a bit about myself, too. Since I know so much about you already.”

Dani looked at her, a little surprised. “Oh yeah? Hannah told me you were a bit of a closed book.”

“Yeah well she’s right about that. So feel special about it, alright?”

“I already do,” Dani said, smiling.

They’d almost finished their walk around the grounds when Jamie began to explain her upbringing to Dani: her father’s job as a coal miner, her mother’s cheating, the torment she experienced as a result, her eventual abandonment by her mother, and that she just wasn’t able to raise her little brother when she was a child herself. How her cruel experience of being a child in the foster system ultimately led her to serving time, which then gave her the love of gardening that would have her end up at the manor.

“This place is full of life, and every year the old life is replaced by new life and the cycle continues. It’s just the way it is. The world goes on like that, even if you face huge challenges that you feel trapped by and like you might never get out of. Gardening really helped me see that. Those gardenias I showed you, for example. They’re not always in bloom, but I know that if I take good care of them, they will again next year, and the year after that. It’s a beautiful process and we as people have to go through it too, just in a different way. Leaving your old life behind might be the way you’re taking care of yourself, and who knows, soon you might be happy in the way you’ve wanted to be. I didn’t even know what happiness was until I learned how to really take care of myself and found my love for plants.”

They came to a stop at the point of their first meeting. The bleeding heart flowers, still in bloom, caught Dani’s eye once again. She’d forgotten to go back to visit them the day after, but here, with Jamie, she couldn’t think of a better way to finally see their gorgeous pink colour in the daylight. When Dani’s eyes met Jamie’s once more, she saw something in them. Vulnerability.

“I think you’re right, Jamie. It’s like I’ve been dormant in winter for most of my life, waiting for spring to finally come. I’m so glad you managed to get there yourself and turn your life around. God knows you deserve it after everything you’ve been through.”

“Yeah, it’s been tough, needless to say. But I’m here now, and so are you.”

Dani smiled, then felt her heart rate increase as she asked, “and since we are both here…would you like to go with me to my parents’ party on Saturday?”

“Blimey. Personally making me lunch even though there’s a perfectly good chef who does that in the manor and bringing it to me to have a picnic, and now inviting me on a date? Poppins, you flirt.”

Dani turned a deep red at that, making Jamie smirk. “N-no, Jamie, not like _that_ …I-I just mean, uh, I don’t know how I’m gonna get through one of their events again without someone with me to keep me sane. Totally platonic.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I think I’m up for that. Food’s gotta be good, after all.”

“And only the best champagne.”

“Then I’m sold. I assume the dress code is ‘very fancy’, yeah?”

“That about sums it up well. Hannah and I are going dress shopping at some point and I don’t doubt it’s gonna be something extravagant, knowing my mom’s taste. Plus, appearances, and all that. Wanna come with us?”

Jamie shook her head a little, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “Nah, I’ve got a dress at home that I’ll wear. It never sees the light of day so I shouldn’t keep neglecting it.”

“Okay then,” Dani replied, smiling. She looked back to the bleeding heart flowers and walked over to them. “So, do these symbolise love?”

“Yeah. That and open expression of feelings or emotions. I actually looked it up in my book when I got home the night we met.”

Dani turned back to Jamie. The very thought of openly expressing her feelings was so strange. It was something she’d become so used to avoiding it over the years that finally coming to terms with and expressing her _lack_ of feelings for Edmund had left her in tears for days on end. Even recounting it to Jamie had been hard. The fear of judgement that she’d lived with had seeped into her being so far that she’d forgotten what it felt like to _truly_ feel something for someone. And that’s what she felt with Jamie as she looked over at her, as well as a growing nervousness in the pit of her stomach. She took a step closer so they were close again. Dani could just reach out and touch her. So she did. She placed her hand on Jamie’s arm, feeling her warm skin under her palm.

“Dani…” Jamie whispered, looking at Dani, whose gaze had lowered from Jamie’s eyes to her lips.

“Dani!”

The loud call from Hannah somewhere in the distance went through them like a shot. They parted, creating a friendly distance between each other before Hannah then came into view from around the corner that led back up to the manor.

“Ah, there you are! Have you finished your lunch? The driver’s here to take us to the dress shop,” Hannah said.

Dani glanced at Jamie, then back to Hannah. Her heart was beating at a hundred miles an hour. “Okay! I’ll be there in a second.”

Hannah looked satisfied with that and turned to go back to the manor. Dani looked back at Jamie apologetically.

“I’ve gotta go, I’m sorry.”

Jamie nodded, trying to hide her slight disappointment at the interruption. “Yeah, have fun. Thanks for the food, by the way.”

Dani grinned at her. _Again with the infectious smile_ , Jamie thought.

“Anytime.”

As she made her way to the car, Dani’s emotions were all mixed up between her heart and her head. Perhaps what she’d been feeling around Jamie wasn’t strictly friendly, as she’d made herself believe before. How long could she keep up the charade to herself? And with each step she took, creating distance between herself and Jamie, the easier it became to side with her head full of rational thoughts rather than her heart that told her the complete opposite.

Hannah had been no help in the matter when they were dress shopping.

“Jamie’s been the happiest I’ve ever seen her recently. I wonder why,” Hannah said, trying to throw Dani a hint through her tone of voice.

It only took trying on a few dresses before Dani found one she loved. Luckily for her, Hannah was in agreement, and the drive there and back turned out to be longer than the time they’d actually spent inside the shop. It was an expensive shop her mother had picked out, so naturally it had to be far away in an area closer to London.

Throughout the week, Dani only saw Jamie at breakfast and lunch in the manor. Celia had swamped Dani with planning duties as soon as she’d offered the slightest bit of help, and between getting the organised and researching potential job opportunities, Dani found herself with surprisingly little free time until it was finally the day of the event.

She was nervous. More nervous than she’d anticipated. Not only did the responsibility of the evening’s success rest on Dani’s shoulders, but she hadn’t forgotten that she’d invited Jamie to go with her. When Dani had initially asked her, she thought having her there would ease her mind, but it wasn’t doing that at all. But, as Dani had always done and could do again, she pushed her feelings back and pretended that nothing out of the ordinary at all. It was time for her to be the good daughter at one of her parents’ parties again. Showtime.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this update took a while, I'm hoping the next won't take as long. Once again thank you for all your lovely reviews and kudos! 
> 
> I've decided to change the chapter to just numbers now. Naming them is more difficult than I thought! Also, I found a small inconsistency in an earlier chapter where Dani referred to Edmund as her husband. I've edited that now but I thought I'd just clarify that they didn't get married. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

As expected, most people showed up a short while after it turned six o’clock. The grounds were lit up like the night sky with fairy lights, hung over the entrance and over the back patio, as well as candles and the chandeliers shining inside the manor.

The guests were welcomed by Celia in the foyer, who then directed them to the great hall, where they were met with choices of wine or champagne and enough hors d’oeuvres to feed everyone for several days - let alone one evening. Robert stood proudly in the great hall, eager to see to it that all his guests - especially the wealthiest ones - were having a good time. Dani had always been fascinated by his way with people. Her father had always been one to command a room whenever he wanted to. It was something Dani often forgot since he failed to uphold his impressive façade at home, when no outside eyes were on him.

A pleasant conversational atmosphere settled over the large room as it was filled with people, but Dani became increasingly anxious to catch a glimpse of Jamie’s arrival. It was as she lowered her newly emptied champagne glass that her gaze finally did land on Jamie, who stood in the large doorway to the hall, her eyes scanning the room methodically until meeting Dani’s eyes and suddenly widening. Dani couldn’t stop the short intake of breath that came as a result of seeing the gardener dressed so…differently. The neglected dress Jamie had referenced was velvety black, embellished with darkened pink flowers (which, of course her dress had flowers on it) that conservatively covered her from collarbone to her ankles, only exposing her arms with short sleeves and her shins that peeked out through the slits in the side. Dani quickly excused herself from the conversation between a guest and her father, that she’d barely been part of anyway, and swapped out her empty glass for a full one on the way over to Jamie, making sure to grab one for her too.

“You look…” Dani trailed off as she let herself shamelessly admire the dress - and the woman in it - for a moment.

“I can scrub up when I need to,” Jamie smiled. How she remained calm she didn’t know. Dani Clayton stood in front of her, the most gorgeous woman she’d ever laid eyes on, in a dress that looked like it had been hand-crafted specially for her to wear and somehow Jamie had managed to reply without hesitation.

Dani wore a light pink dress with ruffles that ran over her shoulders, dipped down her back and cut a moderate V-line down to her chest. The bodice fit tight against her to her waistline and the skirt flared out a little, relaxed and elegant in the way it reached the floor. To complete the look, she had hoop earrings that were slightly larger than the ones she usually wore, as well as high heels that matched the dress. The top of her hair was pulled back into two braids that met at the nape of her neck, held together by a gold clip, and the rest of her hair fell into loose curls down her back. And Jamie thought she looked breathtaking.

Jamie cleared her throat and held out her hand, revealing a gardenia corsage. “I made this for you, if you’d like to wear it that is.”

“Oh my God, is this from the garden?”

“Yeah. You seemed to like them and I know it’s simple but-“

“It’s beautiful. Thank you, Jamie,” Dani replied, cutting off any of Jamie’s insecurities about her handiwork making the corsage. The large, creamy white gardenia was cradled by four small, dark leaves and sat upon a simple white ribbon. She transferred the extra champagne flute into her other hand and asked, “Would you put it on for me please?”

“It would be my pleasure, my lady,” Jamie said with a smile that only grew when Dani laughed in response. She took Dani’s wrist and tied the ribbon around it, making sure to make it not too tight but nice and secure. “There. A beautiful flower to suit a beautiful dress. And you, of course,” Jamie added, if a little shyly.

Dani felt her cheeks grow hot and she quickly looked down at the corsage, muttering a ‘thank you’. Even if Dani could acknowledge what she was feeling, it wasn’t the time nor the place. It _was_ the time to drink, however, so she took a deep breath in, gave Jamie her champagne, and lifted her own glass. “To a fun evening. Hopefully.”

“You’ve got me with you, what more could you want,” Jamie replied.

They clinked their glasses together and started off their evening that was to be full of just talking, drinking and eating. Their conversation flowed as easily as champagne, to the point where Dani almost forgot she was at one of her parents’ parties. That was, of course, until Celia came over to break their peace about an hour later.

“Ladies,” Celia said, a polite smile plastered on her face that seemed to be permanently fixed there since guests arrived. “I’d like to introduce this fine gentleman to you, Thomas Coleridge. Your father is looking to make him his heir since he’s doing so well at the company!”

Dani offered her hand, going for a firm handshake. She didn’t see her mother’s curious eyes going to the corsage around her wrist. “Very nice to meet you, Thomas! I’m Danielle but please call me Dani, and this is my friend Jamie. She’s the landscaper of the wonderful garden outside.”

“Hey,” Jamie greeted the man shortly before looking back to Dani and hiding her smile by taking a sip of her drink. Sure, Jamie was confident in her work on the grounds, but it didn’t hurt for it to be complimented - especially by the most beautiful woman in the room.

Celia left them to it, moving away to observe from afar, and Jamie decided not to involve herself in the conversation as Thomas droned on about his work. Though, she didn’t get away with this for long, as Dani would mention her or ask her a question and pull her back in. Whilst Jamie appreciated this, she really had no interest in mingling with Thomas, much less act like a third wheel. This worry may have been unfounded, however. After a while it became questionable as to who was really the third wheel between the three, with Thomas struggling to get in his own contributions to the conversation between the two women.

Eventually Dani excused herself to the ladies’ room and asked Jamie if she would like to go with her. However, Dani’s expression and tone of voice told Jamie she didn’t actually have a choice in the matter. Jamie wanted to be free of the man’s presence anyway, and happily went with her.

“What do you think of him then?” Jamie dared to ask as she followed Dani’s lead. She was slightly worried Dani could be interested.

Dani’s reply came after a pause for thought. “He’s…nice. He’s polite and seems interesting enough, but I mean, I just got out of my engagement. I was worried this would happen.”

“Worried what would happen?”

Dani looked around to make sure no one was nearby, and stopped outside one of the bathrooms that was farther away from the party so she could escape the watchful eyes. Unfortunately, being the host’s daughter meant she got a fair amount of attention, which normally she wouldn’t find much of a problem if it weren’t for her longing to just enjoy herself with Jamie. Being with Jamie made her feel like she didn’t have to perform like she did for her parents, or their friends. “My parents are trying to set me up with any successful man they can find. They did it all the time before, until I finally got with Eddie, but now I’m not with him anymore and it’s happening all over again and…God, I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. There’s always so much pressure with them.”

“Seems like it, yeah. I don’t get why they’re so intent on you marrying.”

“Probably so I can be someone else’s problem instead of theirs,” Dani wondered aloud. It was the impression she’d gotten from years of feeling so much like their burden. “I’ve never actually said this out loud before, but they always wanted a boy so he could take over the family business. Needless to say, they were disappointed when I was born,” she said, slumping against the bathroom door and downing the last of her drink. She slowly slid herself onto the hardwood floor, stretching her legs out in front of her.

“Jesus. Parents are shite.” Jamie sat next to Dani, careful not to spill her drink as she bent her knees and rested her arms against them. “There was one point in my life where I started to just live my life for myself and not give a damn about what other people thought. Within reason, course. But life gets a lot more fun when you don’t have other people’s thoughts in your head.”

“That sounds nice. Something inside me has always fought for their approval, though. Like a natural instinct.”

“Yeah, it’s a tough one. But you’re looking for what will make you happy, right? What if you found something that really makes you happy and your parents don’t approve?”

Dani gave a pitiful laugh and the sound matched the saddened look in her eyes. “I don’t know. I’ve compromised my own happiness for their approval this far and I suppose it didn’t really get me anywhere at all. I mean, I was finally settling down like they wanted me to, and they up and moved to England in the middle of it all. They said it would’ve been silly to pass up such a big business deal and that moving here was part of it, and I get that, but I don’t think they know how much it hurt me. I thought our relationship was just about to magically get better since I was being the good daughter they wanted but obviously not.”

“Well, it’s their loss. And they’re clearly too ignorant to know what they’re missing out on, cause if they did they’d be spending all the time they can with you.”

“Hey…didn’t you say you don’t go easy on Americans? You’ve been going more than easy on me a lot recently,” Dani said with a small smirk.

Jamie rolled her eyes, and fought off the smile that kept creeping up. “I have a soft spot when it comes to pretty girls who look like they’re about to cry. And we can’t have you ruining your mascara can we?” _Maybe I’ve called her pretty too much now. Is twice too much? She’s had more alcohol than me she won’t care,_ Jamie thought.

Dani laughed and this time, it was a real laugh. And music to Jamie’s ears. “I suppose not. My parents definitely wouldn’t like it if I came back in looking like a raccoon.”

“Exactly. Now, didn’t you need to go to the loo?”

“Oh right! Yeah, I better go do that.”

When Dani and Jamie got back to the hall they found some people were dancing in the middle of the room, and they stood to watch from the edge, making sure to snatch up some more food whenever a waiter came around.

“Do you dance?” Dani asked.

“Sometimes. I don’t think I’m very qualified to dance among this lot though - I haven’t had ballroom dance lessons,” Jamie replied.

“Maybe I could teach you sometime. It would be a good way for me to return the favour of teaching me all about plants.” Dani longed to offer the first lesson then and there, but hesitated. It wouldn’t be a good look in front of all the other guests.

“You consider me rambling about plants a favour I’m doing you?” Jamie chuckled. “That’s the first I’ve heard off anyone.”

“Well thanks to you I have two lovely, healthy plants in my room. Speaking of which I think the um, heartleaf one is almost ready.”

“Oh good! It’s about time, I’ll check it soon. Well done on not murdering it so far.”

“Well it seems having the experience of looking after loads of kids each day has paid off after all!” Dani grinned.

Then, an unfortunately familiar voice interrupted. “Excuse me, I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Jamie turned her head to see Thomas. He definitely was interrupting.

“No not at all!” Dani said, and Jamie heard how her voice slightly changed when she addressed Thomas, as she had earlier with him and some of the other guests as well.

“I was wondering if I may have this dance?” Thomas asked, holding out his hand to Dani.

His accent wasn’t actually far off Dani’s own ridiculous impression, Jamie noted.

Dani looked to Jamie, then looked back to Thomas. As soon as she did, she saw her mother over his shoulder. She was quite a distance from them, but her eyes pierced right through the crowd and struck the feeling of obligation and, in a way, duty into Dani that she felt all too often. She couldn’t back down from it. So, Dani smiled and accepted his offer graciously, taking his hand and letting him lead her to the dance floor.

Jamie looked on and swallowed back a slight twinge of jealousy with a fresh glass of champagne. That wasn’t something she needed. She needed, and wanted, a nice boring life that was uncomplicated, and Dani Clayton was getting in the way of that. Dani Clayton was in her brain far too often for it to be innocent and Jamie knew it, but she could deal with that as she had in the past with other women she’d grown to like yet never pursued. Though she couldn’t help but feel like something was different with Dani. Since their first meeting it had been as though they fell into a rhythm that was natural to the both of them, like they were exactly where they needed to be. Of course, it could always be a one-sided illusion that Jamie had created for herself, but between how close Dani had gotten to her after their picnic, and the way Dani looked at her earlier that evening, Jamie was almost certain there was something there. Something that - even though it certainly wasn’t boring - could be worth pursuing. Either way, Jamie refused to do anything about it until Dani gave her a clear signal.

“Enjoying yourself?” Hannah’s voice came from her left.

Jamie looked round. “Something like that. You?”

Hannah smiled. “It’s all going well, so I’d say I am. I don’t know where Dani found the waiting staff but they’re a lot less useless than the last ones we had.”

“Dani found them?”

“Yes, she put the whole thing together by herself pretty much. Oh but don’t tell Mrs. Clayton I said that.”

They stood in a comfortable silence for a while as Jamie looked around the hall with a slightly different perspective, admiring the effort it must’ve taken to pull off the event. Hannah nursed her first drink of the night after spending all her time managing the event staff alongside Owen.

“She’s clueless, you know. She has no idea how you feel about her,” Hannah said, when she observed Jamie looking over at Dani, who was making friendly conversation with a man. “But I will say, she mentions you at every opportunity she can when I talk to her. That must be a good sign.”

“And how do you know how I feel?” Jamie asked, slightly defensively.

“Oh please, Jamie, you can’t possibly think you’re being very discreet about it. Owen and I saw how you taught her how to play pool, took her out to town, painted her room on your day off, the way you look at her, and-“

Jamie sighed and conceded. “Okay I get your point. Anyway, I don’t suppose she’s in the headspace for all that right now. She told me what happened back in America. It’s best I just leave her to figure herself out. That’s if she’s even into women, let alone _me._ ”

“True. I do think she’d be a good match for you, though, if she is.”

Jamie smiled at that. Their conversation then turned to people-watching, which turned out to be a particularly fun activity in a room full of the wealthy and upper class. There were a few scandals between family members and lovers that could be noticed, be it through a malicious stare between two brothers, or one woman’s refusal to laugh at any joke her husband told - no matter how funny it was. Occasionally, Dani’s eyes would meet Jamie’s. Dani would flash her a wide grin or a wink, the latter catching Jamie off-guard completely. She wondered just how much Dani had been drinking, and got the answer to her question when Dani excused herself from Thomas after what had seemed like an eternity and made her way over to Jamie and Hannah with yet another drink in her hand. Dani stumbled a little before deciding to walk slowly and steadily to avoid stumbling again.

“Hi, I’m back!” Dani announced.

“Alright Poppins?” Jamie asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Absolutely,” Dani beamed, then looked to Hannah. “Hey! Do you get to enjoy the party now?”

“Yes but people are starting to leave. Look, it’s nearly twelve! Goodness.”

Dani’s look of devastation was exaggerated by her drunken state. “What? How did it get so late?”

“Since you spent so much time talking to your new fella,” Jamie teased.

“Yeah, he had me trapped in what seemed to be a never-ending conversation, sorry about that.” Dani had tried her best to be polite as possible and please her parents in entertaining the man they so clearly wanted to match her with. However, with that came boredom, and as she drank her boredom away, the feeling of wanting to be with Jamie instead overpowered her inhibitions.

“Well I’d better get back to the kitchen. Have fun you two,” Hannah said, holding Jamie’s gaze for a moment with a smile.

“We will!”

Jamie looked Dani up and down once again, assessing her state. “I think if anything you should sleep. It’s getting late and you look like you’ve had a bit too much.”

Dani waved her off. “I’ve only had a few glasses! I think. Although. The room is kinda spin-y now that I think about it.”

Jamie smiled. “Okay party girl it’s time for you to go to bed.”

As they ascended the stairs, Dani felt Jamie’s hand against the small of her back to help stabilise her. Dani noticed the distinct lack of nervousness bubbling inside her that she’d felt earlier that evening, when she was waiting for Jamie to arrive and when they were talking. Once again the liquid courage working its magic, for better or for worse. It felt as if her very _being_ was trying to tell her to do something, and finally, in that moment, she understood what it was. Like it clicked into place, aided by Jamie’s gentle touch.

Before she knew it she was standing by the edge of her bed.

“Right I’m gonna go get you some water, I’ll be right back okay?” Jamie said.

Dani simply nodded. Perhaps it was just the alcohol, but Dani knew she couldn’t ignore her feelings any longer, either subconsciously or consciously. When Jamie came back with water, Dani downed it at a speed that Jamie found impressive, and she made sure to shut and lock her bedroom door. No more interruptions.

“You taking me hostage Poppins?” Jamie asked from behind her.

Dani turned around, trying so hard to focus. “I have something I need to tell you.”

Jamie had a look of concern as she walked over to Dani. “What is it?”

“So…when I was with Thomas tonight, I realised something. Something I probably should’ve realised a long time ago but-okay.” Dani steadied her breathing, hoping she could calm herself down a little. “I was just not interested. He’s fine, as I said, he’s nice enough but it made me realise that, actually, I wasn’t interested in any of the guys that I met tonight. I thought that Eddie just wasn’t the right man for me, and that I’d find the right man someday. But now…I know why I couldn’t. I know because all the time I spent with Thomas I really spent wishing I was with you instead. When I was dancing with him, I just wanted to hold you, instead. And if it weren’t for everyone else in that room, I would have.”

Jamie took a step closer. “So since no one else is here with us, now what?” She asked quietly, barely able to hear her own voice over the beating of her heart. Below them, the muffled sound of the music carried through the floorboards, but neither Dani nor Jamie even knew there was another soul in the manor apart from the woman opposite them in that moment.

Dani didn’t say another word. She didn’t have to. It happened in a rush of movement that felt entirely too slow. She closed the gap between them. It was something she’d wanted to do from the very moment she met Jamie, and every moment since then. It had grown to be all-consuming and as soon as Dani took Jamie’s lips into her own it wasn’t fireworks she felt but a flower that bloomed inside of her, spreading a warmth throughout her body that told her she was home.

Jamie lifted her hands to frame Dani’s face, letting herself indulge in the intoxicating feeling of having Dani’s lips against her own. Her heart showed no signs of slowing down. If anything, for the first time since she could remember, her heart felt _full_. She melted against Dani whose arms wrapped around her waist, pulling their bodies to fit together perfectly.

Then, against everything her body was telling her, Jamie slowly broke away. When Dani’s eyes opened, it was as if they were seeing each other for the first time all over again. Dani leaned in once more, but this time Jamie stopped her.

“Dani…we shouldn’t,” she said. Jamie didn’t even sound convincing to her own ears. “Not like this. When we’re sober and in the right state of mind, yeah? Then you can tell me if you’re sure about this or not.”

It took everything in her not to kiss Jamie again. Now she’d felt how a kiss was _really_ meant to feel, it was all Dani wanted to do. Despite that, she agreed and took a step back and rubbed her eyes. The floor still felt like it was spinning beneath her feet, but less so than before.

“You need to sleep. And tell you what, so do I. Owen’s giving me a lift home so I’d better go find him.”

“Okay,” Dani said with a small smile.

“You gonna let your hostage free?” Jamie asked, her smile widening. Honestly, her cheeks weren’t used to all the exercise Dani had been giving them.

Dani hummed. “For now,” she smirked, then unlocked the door and opened it. The thought of someone being on the other side of the door sent her heart racing once again, but when no one was in sight, she silently sighed a breath of relief.

“Make sure you drink enough water, okay? I’ll ask Hannah to run up some headache tablets for the morning when I see her,” Jamie said, stepping out into the hallway.

“I will. Thank you, Jamie. I hope you had a good time tonight.”

“Eh. It was alright. Only got kissed by Dani Clayton - nothing to write home about.”

Dani laughed. “Sounds like a pretty good time to me.”

“Goodnight, Dani.”

“Goodnight, Jamie.”

As Dani closed her door, she lifted the corsage and took in its scent once more. She wondered how long Jamie had spent choosing just the right flower, and how long it took to make it. Then, she collapsed onto her bed, closed her eyes and replayed the kiss in her head over and over again. She could change into her pyjamas and take off her makeup later. All she wanted to do was feel that little bit closer to Jamie again, if just for a little while.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was harder than I expected it to be! Thank you guys for reading and for all the kudos and reviews, I hope you enjoy!

All her life Dani had managed to build up a wall around her innermost thoughts and feelings, masking them with ones she knew the people around her would approve of. This became even more important when she entered her early teens and started liking one of the girls in her class in the same way her friends had described feeling about boys. Within a matter of a week it was as if she’d never even given the girl a thought, let alone felt anything for her.

It worked well until the wedding rehearsal. She’d been drinking to forget, if only for one night, what she was signing her life away to, and it was the morning after that she realised marrying Edmund could turn her into her mother. It was a harsh premonition that came with a head-splitting hangover. That, over the years, the silent sadness deep within her would continue to grow each time her husband would so much as kiss her, or touch her. Dani would have to keep convincing herself that what she felt for her husband was, in fact, what being in love was supposed to feel like. A never-ending lie that would gradually form cracks in the walls she’d built around her heart and mind. 

Dani had always known her mother was unhappy. As her father started to barely be at home between business trips, her mother became more closed off, and Dani quickly learned to follow in her mother’s footsteps. The lack of warmth from her parents was what inspired her to become a teacher and make sure other children received the kindness she rarely did. However, Dani wasn’t a child anymore, and her survival instincts finally kicked in when she realised what her life would become if she continued the lie she’d been living. The vice grip of conformity that had overshadowed every decision she’d made in her life up to that point was weakened. She knew she had to get out, and leaving Edmund was the truest yet most difficult thing she’d ever done.

Only a few weeks later did Dani find herself in a similar situation and she didn’t like it at all. This hangover, physically, wasn’t as bad as the one she’d had after her engagement party. However, mentally and emotionally it was a different story. 

I kissed her. 

Dani’s stomach dropped immediately as she remembered it. The soft touch of Jamie’s lips against her own, the taste of champagne, the warmth radiating from her. Most of all, she remembered how it felt so right.

But Dani didn’t get time to relive the moment for much longer. A knock on the door came with a call from Hannah for lunch. She looked to the clock to find that she’d slept into the afternoon and snapped up, giving a short reply that she would be down in a minute before getting herself presentable.

Sunday lunch had become a tradition for the Claytons upon hiring Owen, who had quite an influence on their diet. Whilst they requested some American comfort foods, Owen had proved himself to be more than trustworthy when it came to meal selection and roast dinner took the top spot. They’d missed it the previous week and Dani was excited when she saw the plate that Owen presented her with as he flashed her a smile. 

“Danielle, you did a great job,” Robert said once they’d started eating. He had a look on his face that Dani last saw when she announced her engagement to Edmund. “The evening went off without a hitch. You take after your mother.”

“And you seemed to get along well with Tom! Isn’t he a dear?” Celia said.

“I’ve grown very fond of that young man. He’s a quick learner. He’s not married, either, Danielle, and he’s got his eyes on a very nice house not too far from here as a matter of fact.”

Dani played along. Truly she didn’t mind much at all that she once again had to bend the truth a little bit; she was riding the high of her parents looking actually proud of her. So, Dani sat through lunch, finding her smiles were not forced at all. For the first time since she arrived back to England, there was no tension in the room as she ate with her parents, and they even spent the rest of the day together. Granted, they didn’t talk much, but they were in the sitting room in each other’s company and it was everything Dani had been waiting for since she was little. These were the golden moments that Dani treasured the most with them, where they felt like an actual family together. Her father was home, her mother was present, and the mood wasn’t sour. But there was one person she just couldn’t get off her mind.

When Dani went to bed that night, she tried not to think about the kiss. She felt on the precipice of something good with her parents at last - but this wasn’t a feeling that was entirely new to her. When she’d first got with Edmund it had been the same. All smiles, yet they still moved away to England without truly giving a thought about Dani. Perhaps they were just reassured that she was in good hands. Perhaps they were just happy to no longer have her as their responsibility since she’d moved in with Edmund. Dani could never really know what went on inside their heads but she’d always tried to think the best of them, even when they gave her no reason to.

Still, her thoughts would always go back to Jamie. What has she been doing? Is she thinking about me, too?

It took a long time for her to drift off to sleep, but when she did, she had a dream of Jamie that gently slipped from her memory as soon as she woke up. 

A knock on the door startled her. It wasn’t long after breakfast and Dani was in the part of her morning routine where she meticulously scanned the newspapers for any new jobs that took her fancy.

“Come in,” Dani said, looking up.

The door opened and behind it stood Jamie, back in her overalls. Dani felt her heart leap into her throat.

“Hey Poppins, thought I’d have a little look at that plant of yours. If you’re not too busy.”

“Oh, please, yeah!”

As Jamie walked over to the two plants she glanced over at Dani and saw in an instant that her face was riddled with worry. “You alright?”

Dani tried to reply in the affirmative but her words failed her. She couldn’t outright lie to Jamie like that. Instead, her body deflated with a sigh. “About the other night…” 

“Ah. Right.”

“God I’m so sorry, Jamie, this is so new to me and I’ve never done anything like this before or felt anything like this and I’m so scared that my parents will find out.” Dani had started to pace as she spoke. She had so much pent-up energy that she didn’t exactly know what to do with it. 

Jamie got in front of her and held her by the shoulders, breaking Dani out of the panic she was spiralling into. “Hey. You’re okay, Dani. Take a few deep breaths, yeah?”

The look in Jamie’s eyes was so sure, so comforting, that Dani felt it wash away some of the tension from her body. She followed the instruction and with each breath she felt a little bit better.

“I know you’ve got a lot going on, Dani. I understand if you don’t wanna talk about it again, if it was just one of those drunken things, I get it.”

“No, no that’s not it. It may have been the alcohol that gave me the courage to do it but it was all true. I think…I think I just need some time to figure myself out, first. I don’t want to hurt you by rushing into something I’m not ready for.” 

Jamie gave a solemn nod and started to step back from her. “Yeah, yeah, that’s best.”

Dani clenched her jaw, her forehead taut with an anxiousness that consumed her. It felt like mind was warring with itself and she didn’t want to put Jamie in the firing line any more than she already had, and yet a selfish part of her just wanted to disregard all of that entirely just to feel her close once more. An apology was all the only thing she could muster among the threat of tears.

“It’s alright, Dani. You told me you just broke up with your fiancé and yet I still…yeah. Really, it’s okay. I’ve gotta take this back anyway so I should go,” Jamie said, picking up the philodendron. It barely took her a glance to know that the roots had established themselves well enough. “I’ll see you later maybe.”

With that, Jamie was gone, and Dani was left in her room that suddenly felt far too big, and far too empty. 

Knowing Jamie would be back soon Dani decided to take a walk on the grounds instead. The fresh air helped to clear her mind and ease her headache. She was all too familiar with her habit of silencing whatever pain she felt and burying it deep, to not be touched upon again. It was begging for her to do it again now instead of facing it all head-on, but Dani knew it was finally time. 

Jamie made her feel like a brand new person. The Dani in America had numbed any negativity she felt, like if she could do it just enough she would one day feel normal. It felt hypocritical at the times where she would be encouraging her students to express their emotions freely. But she was different with Jamie. She turned into someone who could speak about the pain of her parents’ conditional love and the truth behind why she left her fiancé. It felt good to be able to release it, and what felt even better was that her confessions were met with no ounce of judgement.

It turned out that “figuring herself out” was a lot easier than Dani had anticipated, mostly because she already knew exactly who she was. But it was the time that she needed to spend, with herself, to finally let go the pressure that had weighed on her shoulders. To breathe through a lifetime of pain she hadn’t allowed herself to feel. Take a few deep breaths, yeah? Jamie’s voice, full of concern, came into her mind and she smiled. 

Dani didn’t know how long she’d been in front of the fountain, where she and Jamie had been for their picnic, when Hannah interrupted the quietness to tell her there was a Mr. Coleridge on the line. She didn’t want to answer it. What she wanted to do was ask Hannah to tell him she was busy, but within herself she knew that this was something she had to do. Before Thomas even asked the question Dani knew what it was and had already prepared her answer. A firm but gentle excuse as to why she couldn’t go on a date with him, that Dani found validating in a way she hadn’t felt before. She was rejecting Thomas’ romantic advances not just because she wasn’t interested in him as an individual, but because she wasn’t actually interested in men at all. Of course, she didn’t tell him that, but she knew for herself and that was all that mattered. Another step forward.

A few days went by and Dani was distinctly aware of the fact that she hadn’t actually cried about any of it yet. An invisible barrier laid firmly between herself and her feelings that she didn’t know how to break. As she walked around the grounds again, there was a quick exchange of smiles between herself and Jamie that reminded her that although Jamie was keeping her distance, she was available should Dani ever need her. And with each passing minute that they were apart, Dani needed her more and more to the point where it became almost unbearable.

This lasted until one evening when Jamie approached her sometime after dinner.

“We’re going outside. Got a bit of a bonfire going, wanna join us?”

Dani’s response was immediate, and Jamie had already taken the liberty of getting Dani’s coat, wrapping it around her and walking her towards the back of the grounds.

Hannah and Owen were already sitting around it, both coddling mugs of hot chocolate. Dani saw another two mugs resting beside the log that Jamie took a seat on and smiled when Jamie handed one to her.

“I’m glad you guys aren’t drinking alcohol, I think I should stay away from that for a while,” Dani said as she settled next to Jamie.

“Ah, these were Jamie’s idea. Did you have enough at the party then? That night really prepared me for what it’s gonna be like to own a restaurant one day. Honestly, how do you mess up bruschetta? I ended up making most of them myself!”

“I’m sorry Owen, they were the only caterers in the area who were available at such short notice.” 

Owen just grinned. “Nah don’t worry about it. It’s all good practice right? Plus they were much more helpful as waiting staff anyway - I only have two hands after all.”

The fire crackled as Owen told various stories about the nightmares of working in a kitchen, but then all things that made him want to move back to Paris.

“Oh I’d love to go to Paris one day,” Hannah said.

“You should come with me,” came Owen’s eager reply, as though he’d suggested it plenty of times already. Dani assumed that was actually the case.

“I suppose you’d need a taste-tester for all your brilliant new recipes, wouldn’t you?” Hannah smiled.

“Sounds like a dream life, that,” Jamie chipped in. 

“Is there anything you want to do, beyond working here, Jamie?”

Jamie thought for a moment. “I’ve been wondering about having my own flower shop, actually. I’d have to be able to leave these beautiful grounds behind me though and that would be hard.”

Dani smiled and thought about how she would find any excuse to buy more plants if it meant seeing the owner of the flower shop again.

It felt good to be able to relax again with her friends. She didn’t feel any pressure on herself at all to look or act a certain way. This was the way she wanted to live her life, not the way she always had done before. That wasn’t living, that was performing, and she was starting to learn what she’d been missing out on for all of that time.

She didn’t want to miss out for a single second more.

When the conversation split off a bit as Owen started to pitch his Paris idea to Hannah in more detail, Dani asked Jamie if she wanted to go for a walk.

The night was dark as ever but the sky was full of bright stars. It was a perk of being in the countryside, to see just how many stars were out there. The air colder as they separated from the fire and Jamie guided Dani towards the greenhouse. When a shivering Dani took a seat on the bench inside, Jamie grabbed a blanket and covered her before sitting beside her.

“You know when, sometimes, things that seem complicated can actually turn out to be quite simple?” Dani asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

Jamie looked at her curiously but stayed quiet, waiting for Dani to continue.

“When I woke up after the party, everything seemed so complicated. But I think I get it now. It’s not complicated at all. I just need to allow myself the freedom to feel, without denial, and ever since I got here that’s what you’ve let me do. I started to take my feelings as they come and not ignore them anymore. So, that’s what I’m doing right now…I really like you, Jamie, and ever since I first kissed you I haven’t been able to stop thinking about kissing you again. If there’s anything I know for sure right now, it’s that.”

A heavy weight lifted from Jamie. It had been hanging on her ever since she heard the hesitation in Dani’s voice after their kiss, which had been replaced by a confident certainty that Jamie wasn’t used to hearing from her. In truth, Jamie hadn’t been all that worried about Dani not being interested in her - Dani kissed her for goodness’ sake. Her concern lied more with Dani not being able to admit it to Jamie, out loud and fully sober. And that was exactly what she just did. “You’re sure?” Jamie asked, and Dani nodded. Jamie’s lips spread into a smile and she watched as Dani’s eyes followed the movement. Then, her smile became more of a smirk. “I think we should move slowly, though, Poppins.”

“Absolutely. You’re right.” Dani’s eyes met Jamie’s again. “How about we go to that little pub in the village?”

“What, the one that I happened to mention living above? That little pub?” 

Dani grinned with a glint in her eye that told Jamie she remembered that particular detail quite well. The feeling that look gave her made Jamie question why she would suggest going slow in the first place, but then she quickly remembered herself and cleared her throat.

“Sounds good. How about this weekend, when I don’t have an early morning to worry about?”

“Perfect.”

When they got back to the bonfire Owen was still giving an impassioned speech about Paris and all it had to offer, but it seemed as though he no longer had to persuade Hannah.

“It’s gonna happen!” Owen announced, not unlike a child who just found out about a family trip to Disneyland. “Hannah’s agreed. We’re going to Paris!”

“Well, not for a while yet, but yes,” Hannah added. Dani hadn’t seen her looking so excited before.

“Wow, that’s great!” Jamie said. “Finally some peace away from Owen. Thanks, Hannah.”

“Oi you, you know you’ll miss me,” Owen said, taking Jamie into a big hug.

“Steady on, I wouldn’t go that far.” Jamie smiled.

The celebratory atmosphere kept them there a little while longer, but eventually Owen decided it was time for him to head home, and Jamie said the same. Saying goodbye took at least another ten minutes before anyone actually made a move, until in the end it was just Dani, alone.

She sat motionless as she stared into the sky, wrapped in the warmth of the flames that had died out a little bit, and the warmth of knowing where things were going with Jamie. It was then that she at last allowed the tears that had formed to fall. However, as sobs began to tear through her body, it wasn’t sadness that she felt, nor fear. They were tears of relief. Relief that after years of telling herself otherwise, she could now admit how she truly felt. With the words she’d said to Jamie that sounded oh so easy now that she’d said them, Dani felt the floodgates open to the emotions she’d forbidden herself to feel a long time ago. And Dani was so, so happy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! To give you guys a heads up, the next chapter will be the final one. I hope you guys enjoy!

When the familiar green Land Rover pulled into the driveway, Dani turned for a final check of her appearance in the mirror to make sure everything was in order. She felt silly for being so nervous for their first date, considering she’d spent enough time alone with Jamie already to be confident around her - or at the very least, confident. Taming a few wild hairs that had gone astray, she then faced back towards the door at the very moment Jamie opened it.

“Your carriage awaits, m’lady,” Jamie said, a smile playing at the corner of her lips as she eyed Dani up and down, and in that moment Dani was sure that everything would be fine.

The pub was only a short drive away and it was bustling with the weekend rush of locals. They got drinks and found a cozy table in the corner, away from most of the noise, where it felt like it was just the two of them. Jamie reassured Dani that getting one beer wouldn’t do any harm but that didn’t keep Dani from cautiously making sure she wasn’t drinking it too quickly. The last thing she needed was for alcohol to mess up her second chance with Jamie.

“How do you get any sleep at night with all this noise going on downstairs?” Dani asked after they ordered their food.

“Oh I’m used to it after living in London. Shared a flat with three other people and we weren’t in the best area so you can imagine a peaceful night’s sleep wasn’t really heard of.”

“Did you like it, in London? I’ve always wanted to go there, maybe even live there for a while.”

“I suppose it wasn’t that bad when I wasn’t getting myself into trouble. Lots to do there. I miss it, sometimes.”

“Would you go back?”

Jamie leaned against the back of her chair and smirked. “Why, you planning out our future on our first date, Poppins? Bit early for that isn’t it?” Her smirk grew as she watched Dani become flustered at that, trying to backtrack.

“N-no, I just, well, you know…I can’t stay with my parents forever, and all of the jobs that are going seem to be in London, or at least closer to it. It makes sense for me to move there, I think.”

“Yeah no that sounds good. I always thought if I ever went back it would be to open a shop there. This place is great and all but really there’s not much money to be made in a small village.”

“And London’s more…open-minded, right?” Dani asked, quietening her voice. While there was little risk that someone would be listening in on their conversation, she couldn’t let her guard down completely. Jamie didn’t seem to have the same concern, however.

“Can be, depends. I met my first girlfriend in one of the underground bars. We couldn’t be obvious in public or anything of course, but we knew where we could go to stay safe and be ourselves. Course there’s nothing like that round here.”

“Your first girlfriend, huh?” Dani’s intrigue sent her leaning in closer to Jamie, raising her eyebrows a little as she took a sip of her beer.

“Yeah. Feels like a long time ago now. Our relationship didn’t exactly end well, let’s put it that way.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. Well, kinda, cause otherwise you wouldn’t be here with me and I’d rather that than…you know.”

Jamie smiled. “It’s alright. If anything it taught me a lot. That’s how I like to look back on moments in my life that didn’t exactly go as planned - and there are a _lot_ of those.”

“Yeah, life doesn’t seem to like going to plan, huh? I’d still be with Eddie if it did, and I’d have missed out on being here with you. Maybe sometimes it’s best that things don’t go the way we initially expect them to, cause I’m glad I didn’t miss this.”

“You’re quite the charmer, Poppins,” Jamie said and couldn’t quite hold back her grin.

“I can’t seem to help myself with you,” she said, blushing as she gazed into the amused green eyes opposite her.

The moment was only broken by the arrival of their food. For all the nervousness that had built inside her in anticipation of their date, Jamie had yet to put any pressure on her at all to substantiate her worries. The date was exactly what a date should be, and Dani gradually learned over the course of the evening to relax into the butterflies she felt in her stomach. After all this time she

“Fancy coming up for a brew?” Jamie asked as they prepared to leave.

Dani couldn’t have accepted the offer any quicker than she did.

The flat was slightly bigger than Dani had imagined - not that she’d been imagining being in Jamie’s flat, _being_ with Jamie, or anything. What was exactly true to her mental image was the amount of plants that decorated the place and Dani wondered how Jamie had the time to tend to them all as well as the ones on the grounds. A homely feeling seeped within the very walls of the place and Dani thought it was much more welcoming than anywhere within the manor - which often felt rather cold.

Jamie hung up her coat and made her way to the kitchen. “I’ll make the tea this time. Wouldn’t want you to poison us both again.”

“Yeah that’s probably best,” Dani replied absentmindedly as she looked around the living room.

There was a large bookshelf brimming with everything from classic titles to more recent releases. A few books had worn over time, their pages creased from being read and reread and it was clear to Dani exactly which ones Jamie loved most. . On top of the bookshelf sat a plant that Dani recognised by its heart-shaped leaves as Jamie’s philodendron, and she thought of Jamie going home the night they met and taking a few cuttings from that very plant to give to Dani the next day. It amazed Dani to see how a little care and a little patience allowed her to watch it flourish from a few stems to a plant in its own right, and it was still growing.

The only photo frame in the room was one that held a picture of Jamie, Hannah and Owen with the manor in the background. Taking up the left side of the picture was Owen’s grinning face, with Hannah and Jamie standing back from him on the right side. Hannah had one arm folded across her chest and a hand held up to her face, partially covering an amused smile, with Jamie next to her leaning on a shovel, looking slightly less impressed.

Jamie came back into the room with the tea, handing a cup to Dani before following her gaze to the photo frame. “Oh God, that was when Owen got a camera and brought it in to show us. He took pictures of bloody everything that day. It took him so many tries to take one that wasn’t blurry and fit all of us in it and that one was the best we managed.”

Dani laughed. “You guys seem to get along really well.”

“I suppose you could say that. They really took me in when I started working there. Doesn’t hurt that I get to try all of Owen’s cooking ideas too - I’m gonna miss that when he’s in Paris.”

“You know, I might not be any good at tea, but think I’m pretty good at cooking. Not as good as Owen, obviously, but maybe I could cook for you sometime, if you’d like?” Dani asked, her expression full of hope as she turned to face Jamie.

“Yeah, that definitely sounds like something I’d like, Poppins.”

Dani smiled and took a sip of her tea. It did taste a lot better than when she’d made it herself, she had to admit. They moved to the sofa and Dani set her cup down on the coffee table, next to Jamie’s. “Do uh, Owen and Hannah…know? About you being…?”

“Do they know I’m a lesbian? Yeah, I told them pretty early on. Eventually you just get the sense of who you can and can’t tell, and I knew I could tell them. Saying that though they’ve teased me about you enough these past few weeks to make me think maybe I _shouldn’t_ have told them after all.”

Dani wondered what sort of things Hannah and Owen had said to Jamie about her when she wasn’t there, and decided to ask more about that another time. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I got the feeling I didn’t need to,” Jamie said, smirking.

Dani didn’t miss a beat. She knew exactly what she wanted, what she needed. She wanted to kiss that look off Jamie’s face, and she needed to feel Jamie against her again, and for once she no longer stood in the way of her own desires. Dani leaned in and their lips met in a slow, deliberate kiss. And god, Dani loved how soft Jamie’s lips were. How Jamie let her lead, simply responding to all of Dani’s movements.

Then Jamie rested her forehead against Dani’s as she quietly asked, “are you sure?” When she received an eager nod in affirmation, happiness flooded Jamie in an entirely new way. Dani Clayton wanted her, and this time, she was sure of it. Sure of herself.

This time their kisses were fuelled by hunger, though Jamie couldn’t help but smile between each. She felt herself being pressed against the arm of the sofa and slowly advanced upon by Dani, whose tongue slipped between her slightly parted lips. Jamie responded with fervour, wrapping her arms around Dani and pulling her in closer. It was only when she felt Dani’s hand move from her side down to her thigh and gradually get higher and higher that Jamie chuckled and pulled away.

“Slow, remember?” Jamie said, putting her hand over the one on her thigh and moving it down to a safer area, lacing their fingers together.

Dani’s eyes were glazed over, trained on Jamie’s lips. “This is…slow?”

Jamie smirked. “It’s as far as we’ll go tonight, Poppins.”

Eventually it became time for Jamie to take Dani home, and Dani felt giddy as she watched her drive away. It had gone better than she’d hoped and she could tell Jamie felt the same way. Everything was falling into place, with the small exception of her parents but she didn’t want to think about that issue yet. All she wanted to think about was the woman who made her heart race. A whole world had opened up to her and she wanted to experience it all, see and feel it all, but if she had to wait then that was what she would do. Except waiting was harder than she thought. Even when she laid in bed with explorative hands, it did little to satiate the desire inside her.

It wasn’t much of a surprise but it was still reassuring that when she awoke the morning, there was no sudden rush of guilt or regret. Pure contentment filled her and the feeling didn’t seem to leave as she found every possible excuse to interrupt Jamie’s day. Suddenly she forgot how to care for her plants, so of _course_ Jamie had to help her with that. The next day she thought her bedroom ceiling could use a touch-up of white paint. Then she began to take an extra interest in which fertilisers were best and why.

“At this rate I won’t get anything done around here,” Jamie said, but it was evident by her smile that she didn’t mind the intrusion.

Dani had always considered herself a fairly patient person but when it came to being around Jamie, patience definitely took a backseat. Whenever they would pass in the hallway and exchange shy smiles, or steal glances at each other from across the breakfast table, she thought about just how much she wanted to kiss her. She treasured the moments when they were away from the worries they might get caught, in private spaces where they could truly be together as they wanted to be, but even still Jamie wanted to wait. What for, Dani didn’t quite know, but she didn’t question it.

Then, one day, Robert and Celia announced that they were going away for another business trip, and that’s all it took for Dani’s mind to start organising.

“My parents are going on a trip tomorrow and won’t be back until the next day, so I was wondering if you maybe wanted to…stay over? I can make you dinner,” Dani asked with a hopeful expression after she found Jamie in the greenhouse.

Even if Jamie wanted to, she couldn’t possibly say no to that face.

Dani found Owen in the kitchen trying out a new cake recipe with Hannah as an enthusiastic spectator, and they didn’t hesitate in promising to make themselves scarce while the Claytons were gone, exchanging knowing looks with each other as soon as Dani mentioned Jamie coming over to stay. And, after getting advice from Owen on what she should cook, Dani felt her plan was coming together perfectly.

The next evening Hannah and Owen left the manor around lunchtime, telling Dani to “have fun _”_ on their way out. She tried her best, but when it came to making sure everything was right, she couldn’t help but get a little stressed. Dani did a quick check that everything was in order when the clock showed her Jamie was due through the door at any minute. The moment she finally allowed herself to take a breather, Jamie arrived back at the manor after she’d left to freshen up and change out of her work clothes into something more suitable for their date.

“Food smells good, is that…shepherd’s pie? You’ve been speaking to Owen about me again haven’t you?”

Dani grinned. “Maybe. It’s my first time making it so it might not be the standard you’re used to but I think I’ve done a pretty good job!”

“I’m sure it’s gonna be great, Dani,” Jamie said with a smile. She then noticed the table, covered in a white cloth with a candle burning a warm flame in the middle. “This looks amazing, Poppins.”

“Well take a seat because the food is ready now.”

Jamie didn’t mind the view from the table of Dani dishing up in her apron, hair tied back into a ponytail. She could see how much Dani put into everything, from making sure the manor was ready to the food itself. Honestly, Jamie would’ve been happy if Dani had just stuck a frozen meal in the oven and called it a day, but she could see, really see, just how much Dani cared.

After dinner, Jamie led Dani through the grounds with no hint as to where they were going, not even when Dani kept pestering for an answer. They came to a clearing with a metal arch wrapped with a plant that was all too familiar to Jamie, but not at all to Dani. She shone her torch on it, revealing a few blooming white flowers.

Normally, Jamie wouldn’t allow herself to get close enough to anyone for them to make her feel anything in the slightest, good or bad. She was over-cautious when it came to any kind of connection with people, so when Hannah and Owen came along and treated her like family, she didn’t quite know how to respond at first. While she enjoyed their company and trusted them, she made sure to keep them at an arm’s length - just in case. But Dani. Dani stirred within her feelings that had been dormant for so long she’d been doubtful they would ever return, and though she’d felt a strong urge to protect herself from the possible result of those feelings, Dani was proving that maybe for once that wasn’t necessary. And God, did Jamie want that to be true. So if Dani was putting in the effort, Jamie decided that it was only fair that she did, too.

As she explained the life of a moonflower, seeing the concentration on Dani’s face as she examined the plant before turning back to face her, Jamie was sure of it.

“That’s a lot of work for a flower that only blooms once.”

“That’s what people feel like, to me. Exhaustive effort, very little to show for it,” Jamie said as she sat on a nearby log.

“All of them?”

“All of them. Even you. Even me - especially me,” Jamie replied as Dani sat with her, watching her with worry on her face. “You know, I don’t find it too easy, getting close to people. I suppose my upbringing geared me up for a life of low-expectations. But gardening - that got me out of my old bad habits. Busy work for idle hands. It’s why I wanted to move out here to the country, to set up a boring, simple life for myself. And I fucking love it. Love it. And it’s so clear then, how people aren’t worth it. But plants, you pour your love, and your effort, and your nourishment into them, and you see where it goes. You watch them grow, and it all makes sense. So yeah…” Jamie wiped her clammy hands on her jeans and got to her feet, walking back over to the moonflower that was dimly lit by the lantern. “Everyone is exhaustive. Even the best ones. But sometimes, in a blue goddamned moon I guess, someone, like this moonflower, just might be worth the effort.” She turned back to Dani, who had moved next to her now. “Look, I know it’s not easy, what you’ve been going through, but I know that you’ve been trying with me despite everything. Thing is, I never thought relationships were worth it. I saw what could happen, what _did_ happen to me, and wrote them off completely. Course, that was before you came along to completely ruin this perfectly boring life of mine,” Jamie said, smiling. “And now I think I may have just found someone who is worth it.”

Dani stepped forward and put her hands around Jamie’s face. Without a word she leaned in and kissed Jamie with everything she had, every thought and emotion put into the feeling of their lips together. They looked deep into each other’s eyes and Jamie smiled, washing away all the nervousness Dani had felt, replaced by the reassurance that Jamie was in this just as much as she was.

The need to go back inside eventually broke them apart. In a stumble of quick kisses they made it into the manor and up to Dani’s room, pushing inside before shutting the door.

“You’re sure about this, yeah?” Jamie asked.

“I feel like I should be asking you that, I’ve been sure ever since the pub.” Dani said, chuckling. “Are you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure,” Jamie said with a grin.

That night, in the safety of Jamie’s warm embrace, Dani learned what it felt like to be with someone she’d so longed to be with. And she never wanted it to end.

After that, the weeks flew by. Dani mentally thanked her parents for moving to such a large manor, if only for the fact that it made it much easier to sneak Jamie in and out of her room. Life had never felt so natural to her, yet it still felt like she was living two lives. One, her true life, with Jamie, behind closed doors. The other was still the same act she’d always played for her parents, except now knowing how she could be living, it had become a much more arduous task. Until one afternoon, after time had worn away some of their cautiousness.

“Okay, so I’ll lead. Put your hand on my shoulder like this,” Dani instructed, moving Jamie’s hand onto her shoulder and putting her own on Jamie’s waist, their other hands intertwining. “Right, now, when I move my right foot forwards you move your left foot backwards and you follow me like that, got it?”

Jamie gave her a nod. “Got it.”

With that, Dani started to move gracefully around the room and Jamie tried her best to keep up. She could tell Dani was good at teaching, but she couldn’t help but get a little distracted by the teacher herself, especially when they were so close together.

“This version is a bit simplified really but I prefer it this way. Feels a lot more…personal,” Dani said.

“I get what you mean,” Jamie replied with a smirk, their faces mere inches from each other as they circled around the room. After a few times without any incidents of foot squashing, Jamie wanted to try something different. “Mind if I have a go at leading?”

“Of course!”

They switched hand positions and Jamie tried out leading, feeling Dani follow her closely around the room now. She could feel her breath against her neck and the sweet sound of Madonna that played softly in the background - not the most appropriate for a Waltz, according to Dani, but it was already playing when she thought to finally follow up on the promise of a dance lesson.

“This is definitely worth me teaching you about plants.”

Dani chuckled. “You think you’re ready for a ballroom full of my parents’ friends then?”

“How about you be the judge of that, Miss Clayton?” Jamie asked, before leading Dani into a twirl and dipping her, one hand on her back to keep her up as their faces once again met, a little out of breath this time.

Jamie didn’t get to see much of Dani’s reaction to it before leaning down to kiss her, feeling her smile against her lips for a moment. She brought Dani back up to her feet and kissed the back of her hand.

“Well that was the wrong style of dance but…that doesn’t matter,” Dani said, taking Jamie back into her arms to kiss her once more.

Until they were interrupted by the unmistakable voice of a horrified Celia Clayton.


	8. Chapter 8

Dani had gone lengths to avoid the very situation she found herself in that she’d always feared would shatter her, but as she was faced with her parents and their disapproval, it was entirely different to how she’d anticipated.

By that point Jamie had long gone. She’d promptly excused herself after seeing Celia, stood rooted at the doorway, her face twisted with disgust. Celia suggested that she never step foot on the grounds again, and after a short apologetic look to Dani, Jamie left. Which was best, really. Dani didn’t want her being caught up between her complicated (at best) relationship with her parents.

Normally, Dani would immediately lock her bedroom door upon entering with Jamie, but her parents had told her they were out for the day and she let her guard down for once inside the manor. Turns out their plans had been cancelled, making them return to the manor far earlier than Dani had expected, and the music along with being wrapped up in a dance meant neither woman had been alerted to their arrival until Celia’s dramatic interruption of their embrace.

So, that took Dani to sitting across from her parents. There was an uncomfortable silence that was only challenged by the ticking clock on the wall, until Celia decided to speak up. 

“How long has this been going on for?”

Dani’s tone was even in her response as she told them. No tears choked at her throat, her heart wasn’t ripping out of her chest. Instead, a calm acceptance washed over her. It wasn’t what she was expecting at all, but thinking about it, she should’ve known. Over the past few weeks of her relationship with Jamie she’d grown more confident than she’d ever been, and the only thing missing was to share that with her parents. And although it wasn’t how she wanted to tell them, if she would have even decided to tell them at all had it not been for her mother walking in on them, at least it gave her the final confirmation she needed. The closure that sealed the chapter of her life she spent desperately chasing their approval. If there was anything that could do that, it was the look of sheer unending disappointment on their faces. How could it be right to react that way, to something so simple as the happiness that being with Jamie had brought her?

“This ends today. I don’t want you seeing her again, Danielle, or you will be out of this house, you understand? God forbid anyone finds out about this lesbian affair of yours. Our reputation would be ruined!”

Her mother’s words cut through her like a knife, and made the decision she knew she had to make that much easier. 

“Then I’ll pack my things,” Dani replied.

“That’s it? You’re going to abandon your family?” Celia spat. Robert sat still beside her, his face unreadable. “We raised you to share our strong values. We let you stay with us even after you chose to leave Edmund, the best possible man we could find for our daughter, and you repay us by going against everything we believe. This is a disgrace.”

“You raised me by throwing money at someone else to do the job, and sent me off with the first man I agreed to be with as quickly as possible. Raising a child is about love and care, but you never did care. Jamie has been there for me since I got here more than you have my entire life. This is possibly the most you’ve even spoken to me in one sitting since I got off that plane!”

“Well you’ve hardly been very talkative yourself Dani,” Celia said, rolling her eyes.

Dani laughed. “Maybe you just haven’t noticed but I tend not to open up to you because I know you’ll criticise everything that comes out of my mouth. Whenever I’m talking to you I feel like I have to put on a mask and act like someone else. If you can’t accept me for who I am, then so be it. But I can’t live like that anymore. Not now Jamie has shown me the alternative.”

“Robert, say something!” Celia snapped.

Robert looked between his daughter and his wife in quiet contemplation, before leaning back against the sofa and pinching the bridge of his nose. “You have to admit Celia, we could’ve done more, as parents.” He continued as Celia’s mouth opened in protest, ”well, I’ve been away for work so much that I barely even saw her childhood, and I clearly don’t know the woman she’s grown to become. And I know how you’ve been affected by my absence but really it was the nanny who did most of…actually raising her.” He looked to Dani. “You’re right. I was supposed to be there, be the fatherly figure to set you right and I wasn’t. I failed you in that regard.” His eyes, that were once filled with regret, suddenly hardened. Cold. “But you have also failed me, and I can’t forgive what you’ve done today. So leave my house. I don’t want to see you or that gardener anywhere near me again.”

Tension hung in the air. Then, without a word, Dani calmly nodded and left. Her parents didn’t move.

Hannah was in the middle of dusting a picture frame in the hallway when she caught sight of Dani going to her room.

“Everything alright?”

Dani slowed a little to let Hannah catch up. “My parents found out about me and Jamie, Hannah. They took it about as well as I’d imagined, but I’m not…I think I feel okay about it.”

“Gosh, I’m so sorry Dani. What now?” Hannah asked, coming to a stop at Dani’s bedroom door.

Dani turned to her. “I’m gonna start packing. I knew I needed to move closer to where I can get a job I just didn’t know when. I guess all this has done is speed up the process.”

Hannah walked inside and shut the door behind her. She looked over Dani, who seemed oddly at peace with the fact that she was leaving her parents and would possibly never contact them again. “And you  _ really  _ feel okay about all this?”

There was a pause before Dani replied. “Well, no,” her voice cracked and gave a small, hollow smile. “But I don’t think I can change their minds. They’ve never been the type of people to compromise. Even my decision to leave my fiancé was pushing it to the limit. What I think I’ve now realised is that I don’t need them in my life anymore. Between you, Owen and Jamie, you’ve all shown me what a true family should be like, and I really couldn’t ask for more. My parents, though they may be related to me by blood, I think that’s the only thing that’s ever tied us together, and it’s just not strong enough to keep me from the woman who’s shown me what a true relationship should be like. They showed me exactly how much they care about me back there and it’s clear I won’t be missing out on anything.”

Hannah gave a firm nod. “Well, I suppose I shall start packing as well then!”

Dani’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re leaving too?”

“Why shouldn’t I? Now is as great a time as any to finally let Owen whisk me away to Paris, isn’t it? I’ve kept him waiting long enough and I can’t in good conscience keep working for two people who will abandon their own daughter because of who she chooses to love.”

Dani smiled and hugged her, making Hannah tense up momentarily in surprise before hugging back, tightly.

Once they were both packed and ready to go, Dani went to say her final goodbye to her parents. This time, joined by Hannah and Owen, who’d been filled in on what happened. Whilst he felt bad for Dani, he couldn’t hide his delight when Hannah told him she was quitting and wanted to move as soon as they could.

“I’m leaving now,” she said flatly.

“We are also leaving,” Owen said with a smile. “Hannah and I quit.”

“What? Without any warning? But what will we eat tonight?” Celia asked, horrified.

“I’m afraid that’s none of my concern anymore, ma’am,” Owen said. “I believe what should be more worrying to you is that you are letting your ignorance get in the way of seeing your daughter for who she really is, a wonderful young lady who is funny, and kind, and smart. And luckily, she hasn’t taken after either of you.”

Dani’s hand shot up to cover her grin, and Hannah was beside her in a similar state of shock and amusement. It didn’t take long at all for them to pick up the bags and make a hasty exit away from Robert’s wrath. Despite his threatening tone, Dani and Owen found themselves giggling when they piled into Owen’s car.

“Owen! Where did that come from?” Hannah asked. She shot Owen a disapproving look, but her smile betrayed her.

“Well they never really treated me all that well, and hearing how they treated Dani I guess I just…tell them what they must never hear. I hope you didn’t mind, Dani.” 

“Oh, no! I liked it. I’ve never seen them look so horrified as I have in the last two hours,” Dani said, laughing. Such blatant rejection from her parents may have devastated her a while ago, but she felt renewed now. Free.

Owen started up the car. “So, where do you wanna go now, Dani?” He already knew exactly where Dani wanted to go.

“To Jamie’s, please. I have something to ask her.”

Jamie hadn’t sat down since she got home. She couldn’t keep still, finding absolutely anything to keep herself busy as her mind couldn’t stop thinking about Dani. One half of her felt bad that she left, and the other half knew it was the only thing she could do - especially under the glare of Celia Clayton. What kept her so busy was the thought that maybe she couldn’t even see Dani again. There was no way her parents would allow them to keep seeing each other, that was clear. What if she’d chosen them?

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she got a knock on the door, and possibly had never moved quicker to answer it. On the other side was one Dani Clayton, beaming at her. Certainly what she’d hoped to see, but since when was life being so good to her? So many questions, and Dani just had the answers to all of them.

All of a sudden, Jamie was being pushed back into her apartment, as Dani began to kiss her. She heard the door being closed, presumably kicked shut by Dani's foot, but she was too focussed on her lips to know for sure. They came to a stop when Jamie was pressed up against the wall and Dani looked at her with that same exact grin finding her again. Jamie couldn’t speak, her words and questions stuck in her throat as she looked over the woman in front of her, the woman who’d grown to be so sure of herself. Her Dani.

“Will you come to London with me?” Dani asked. It was then that Jamie noticed she was short of breath and wondered how quickly she’d run up the stairs to reach her door.

“What?” Jamie choked out with a laugh. 

“Well, you’re obviously not going to work at the manor anymore, and you wanted to open up your own store right? We can do it together!”

“Dani…I didn’t know if I was even gonna see you again just two minutes ago, and now you’re asking me this, I…I haven’t even got enough saved up yet and-”

“I have savings! Not to mention the money my dad gave me a while ago. What better to use it on than investing into our future?”

Jamie looked at Dani. Jamie searched those blue eyes for any sign that she was anything but utterly serious. Of course, she saw that Dani wasn’t joking at all. Dani’s eyes were bright and dancing with hope. In that moment, Jamie realised she would happily go absolutely _ anywhere _ with her. Even if it did seem too good to be true. “London it is then.”

Dani all but jumped into her arms, sending Jamie straight back into the wall behind her. Both of them broke into fits of giggles that continued between each kiss.

“Welcome home Poppins,” Jamie said when she heard Dani coming through the door. She turned her attention away from the stove, something she always found risky given her particular ineptitude when it came to cooking, but she also couldn’t help but savour finally being able to see her girlfriend. It had been weird not being with her after not parting from each other’s side for over a month as they looked for a place to stay and get settled. “How did it go?”

“Excellent! I think I made a good impression.” Dani was beaming. Excitement seemed to radiate from her as she made a beeline for Jamie to kiss her.

Jamie smiled. “Well I reckon you made a  _ great  _ one. What were they like?”

“Oh they’re little angels. Considering what they’ve been through with their parents passing away in that awful accident, they’re dealing really well. I suppose it helps that they’ve got their uncle. Apparently they only just moved in with him, they used to live in a town not far from my parents, actually.”

“Small world, huh?”

“Definitely.”

A light smell of burning snapped Jamie’s attention back to the pan and she quickly tried to fix it. “Sorry, Dani, thought I’d have it under control and ready for you by the time you got home.”

Dani smiled and wrapped her arms around her, resting her head lightly on her shoulder. “It’s fine. Want me to take over?” Dani asked, placing small kisses along Jamie’s neck.

Jamie hummed, turning back around to face her. “I can think of something I’d rather do than dinner.”

Like always, Dani’s breath caught in her throat when Jamie got this close to her, this forward. She wondered if she’d ever feel like it was the most normal thing in the world. “What’s that?” Dani moved her hands down to Jamie’s hips and continued the trail of kisses where she’d left off.

“…This,” Jamie said. Her voice was lower now. “You.”

Dani looked at her again and bit back a smirk. “Well maybe something can be arranged.”

A year went by in a flash. The Leafling had a successful grand opening, staffed by Jamie with the help of Dani who’d invited the Wingraves to visit as well. Hannah and Owen had sent their well wishes from France, and flew over to visit for Christmas, where they got to catch up. They’d been travelling around France and other parts of Europe, enjoying some peace before the rush of owning a restaurant really kicks off. It didn’t nearly slow Owen from making new recipes, though, as Hannah had proudly told them..

Dani found her job as a nanny to the two children much more manageable than being a teacher to a whole class of kids. Sure, the hours could get long during the school holidays and they would sometimes misbehave as all children do, but she felt that she was able to give them her all and really have an impact in their lives. Henry Wingrave confirmed this when he told her one day that Flora and Miles were transformed to how they had been after the accident.

Whilst Jamie missed having a simple, predictable paycheck and the freedom to do as she pleased with the grounds, she loved the different kind of freedom that came with owning a business. She and Dani had split on the rent and eventually decided to buy the place out. The shop was exactly how Jamie had pictured on the rare occasion she’d let her imagination run wild in her flat above the pub.

Except, she’d never have foreseen the life she had with Dani. Even with each passing day, while it felt real,  _ was real,  _ she still wondered how she’d gotten so lucky to have ended up as the groundskeeper to the particular manor owned by Dani Clayton’s parents. It definitely wasn’t the boring life Jamie had once aspired to live. Simply being around Dani made everything far less boring. But Jamie wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would Dani.

Living with Jamie was a whole host of wonderful things, but most of all it felt right. Dani not only learned more about her each day, but she also learned more about herself in Jamie’s reassuring arms. She learned what it was to live a life full of joy and freedom, not free from all responsibility but free from the weight that had held her down for so long, and free from the feeling that she wasn’t in control of her own life. She learned what it was to be in love, and have that same love returned.

“Jamie? I got your note saying to meet you here? Something wrong?” Dani called, walking into the shop after. By the time she’d gotten home it was dark outside, yet when she entered the flat, it was empty.

She watched Jamie walk in from the back from holding a potted flower. Jamie set it on the counter and Dani stepped forward, eyeing it curiously.

“Is that a moonflower?”

“Yeah,” Jamie replied, letting out a breath she’d been holding.

“They’re really rare, you know.”

Jamie’s eyes darted around before settling on Dani’s. “I’m just gonna say it, because I’ve been meaning to say it for a while now and God knows I’ve been thinking it every second I’m with you…that, uh, I’m actually pretty in love with you, it turns out.”

Dani’s smile said everything. Jamie made no hesitation in putting a soft hand to her face and pulling her in to kiss her, and felt so much happiness, so much  _ love  _ that she wondered if her insides would burst. They fell into a rhythm they’d fallen into so many times before, playing the symphony to which their hearts beat as they made their way into the back room, and then up to their flat, where two philodendrons sat side by side on the dresser, fully flourished with leaves spilling out past their pots. Dani didn’t know if she ever stopped smiling that night. Her heart certainly didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter really got away from me! I'm sorry I made you guys wait for so long but I hope it was worth the wait. My first complete fanfic so that's pretty exciting for me! I felt like I needed to write this to get more time with these characters. I love them so much and they all deserve amazingly happy endings so that's what I HAD to give them. Thank you all for reading and thank you so much for all the positive feedback, it really means so much!


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